


Forgotten Flower

by Madeline_Canada_Williams



Series: Rumple's Rose series [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-05-31 11:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6468460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madeline_Canada_Williams/pseuds/Madeline_Canada_Williams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Third installment of Rumple's Rose. Rose has left Storybrooke and has no memory of either of her past lives. While Henry tries to figure out what happened to her while also trying to convince Emma of her destiny, Rose is in New York with Neal trying to figure out who she is while adjusting her new life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Um...W-Who are you?" So we're getting down to it, he thought. He thought it would be best to wait until she was comfortable to ask her questions, but since she asked, he supposed it would start.

"My name's Neal. Neal Cassidy." She nodded.

"Okay, then...Who am I?"

 

"Rose? Rose, darling? Wake up. It's time to get up." 

"What? Who's that? Who's Rose?"

"You are, flower. You have to get up. You must come home. Come home to me."

"Who are you?"

"I'm your papa and I miss you very much. Your mama does too. Please come home."

"Where is home? Where are you? Where am I?"

"Rose, wake up. Wake up!"

 

"Hey, wake up." A young girl opened her bright emerald eyes. In front of her was a man with brown eyes and hair. His name was Neal. She had come to like him very much. A month prior, he found her in front of his apartment door. He took her in and cared for her until he was sure she was okay. The child had lost her memory and didn't know anything about her life. She didn't even remember her own name. "Come on. Time to get up."

"Why? It's too early." He chuckled at the adorable child. He had taken a liking to her as well. She was a sweet little girl. Whoever her parents were raised her right. The police were still trying to track them down. There were no missing person's report for her and no one seemed to know who she was. Neal questioned where she had come from. It must have been at least a state away if she wasn't in the New York database. There wasn't even a birth certificate for her. He hoped to find her family soon.

"I know, but we got things to do today. Let's go." With some grunts and moans, and some chuckles from Neal at the silly girl, she pulled off her comforter and got off of the sofa bed. Since Neal's apartment was a one-bedroom, she had to take the sofa bed. Since she didn't have any parents that anyone knew of, she was put into the foster system. Having been there himself, he didn't want her to go through that. The foster system wasn't as kind as people think. He took her in until he could find out where her parents were.

She got up and went to the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she looked in the mirror, watching her reflection. She started thinking about her dream. She had been having them since she had been with Neal. It was always the same. A man with some sort of accent telling her to come home. She could never see his voice. She was always in the same black void. There was the man's distant voice claiming to be her father and telling her it's time to come home. She didn't know what it meant. She decided not to tell Neal about it.

"Hurry up, kid! We're already running late!"

"Coming!" She finished up and ran out of the bathroom to Neal's. She went over to the dresser and opened her drawer. With the money Neal was getting from the foster system, he bought her clothes and other necessities and five-year-old girl would need. She grabbed some clothes and quickly put them on. When she was done, she met up with Neal at the front door.

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

"Let's get going then." They left the apartment and went about the day. It was a weekend, so Neal didn't have work and could spend the day with her. Oddly enough, although it's been an entire month, they never figured out what to call her. Neal always referred to her as "kid". She wanted to give herself a name but she didn't know what. Thinking back to her dream, she noticed something. Of all the times she had the same dream, the voice never called out a name. That time, it did. Rose. Was that really her name or was it just some weird dream? She wasn't sure which.

"Hey, Neal?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I name myself?" Neal was puzzled by her question, but didn't say anything about it.

"Sure. It'll be easier than calling you 'kid' all the time. Any name you want is fine with me." She smiled at him.

"Well, can I be called Rose? It's a pretty name and it's a pretty flower." Neal smiled.

"Alright then. Rose it is." Rose felt something. Like she had recovered something that was lost. She wasn't even sure what that meant, but the feeling was there. A new name was the first step to starting a new life. She figured she must have wanted a new life if she left her parents, but what about the dreams? The man that claimed to be her father? He never sounded mean or angry. He was worried. He wanted her to come home, but where was home? What was waiting for her there?

 

It's been a month since Lily disappeared from Storybrooke. No one knew what happened to her. That was because no one knew who she was. Lily didn't exist and never existed to the people of the small town. Henry was the only one who remembered her. Without his best friend by his side, Henry was upset. She had been his friend for all long as he could remember. She was the one friend he had. Not only was she the one person he could count on, but she was the first person to believe him about the curse on Storybrooke.

Before she disappeared, she had gotten her memory back. She remembered her life in the Enchanted Forest. She told him about what she had been through and what it was like to live with the Dark One. She even confirmed his suspicions of his adoptive mother being the Evil Queen and being the one to cast the curse. She was there to confirm who anyone was. Having lived with Snow White and Charming for a while, she met a lot of new people like Ruby and the dwarfs. She was gone now. Where had she gone? Why did no one remember her? What happened to her? Henry knew the answer to none of these. He could only hope that she was okay wherever she was.


	2. Chapter 2

Neal and Rose went about the day running errands. They went grocery shopping, picked up a few more things for Rose, and stopped by the local police station. They were still working on tracking Rose's family. They've gone every weekend to check up and make sure they were doing their jobs. Every week was the same. There was no sign of her family anywhere in the city, or in the state for that matter. This confirmed Neal's theory that Rose probably wasn't from New York. That still raised the question of where she really was from.

After leaving the station, they stopped for lunch. They stopped at a pizza place and pick up a pizza. They then went to the park to eat it. Rose may not have remembered much about herself, but she knew she loved being outside. She loved nature. They had been to the state park a few times since she's been with him. He loved the way she would light up and enjoy her surroundings. What made this kid leave her home?, he thought. She seemed happy enough, though that could be for the memory loss. When he took her to the hospital, she didn't have any bruises or broken bones so she wasn't physically abused. Why did she...

"Neal?" He was brought from his thoughts by her voice.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"How come you don't talk about your mommy and daddy? You don't have any pictures of them either." Neal froze. He never liked to talk about his parents, especially his father.

"Well, for one thing, you never asked."

"Oh, okay. I'm asking now." He couldn't help but chuckle. Of course she'd be curious to learn more about the man taking care of her. He never talked about his past. He only ever told her about the current things in his life like his job and girlfriend. Rose didn't like her very much, but that's a story for another time.

"Okay. Well, I don't remember too much about my mom since she died when I was really young. Probably just a little older than you." She frowned.

"Aww. That's really sad. I'm sorry." He rubbed her hair playfully.

"That's alright, kid. It was a long time ago."

"What about your daddy?" Neal hesitated. His father was a touchy subject for him and wasn't his favorite thing to talk about.

"Well, my father...he...uh...He was a good man. I remember growing up, he did everything for me. He did everything he could to make sure I was safe and had what I needed. He loved me and I loved him. He and my mom never got along all that much, but that didn't change how he felt about me. After my mom died, he became more protective of me. He didn't want to lose me. Like I said, he was a good man. Was." Rose tilted her head in confusion.

"What happened?" He swallowed remembering the past.

"One day, he changed. He became dark and cruel to others. He...uh...He hurt people, claiming to protect me. He claimed that everything he did was for me, but he was selfish. He soon only cared about being stronger than others and intimidating people. After that, he wasn't my father anymore. He was nothing but a coward." Rose looked at him with wide, curious eyes. He had spoken so fondly of his father at first, then it changed. What did his father do? Neal saw this and smiled. "Hey, that's enough about my father. Just know that he's not in the picture anymore, okay?"

"Oh, o-okay, but what if he really was hurting people for you? Maybe he hurt them first so they wouldn't hurt you. Maybe he didn't know what else to do, so he did bad stuff because he thought it would work. I think if people want to protect someone they loved, they would do things that they wouldn't normally do. They want to do something that works." Neal chuckled again.

"You know, you're pretty insightful for a kid with no memory." She giggled.

"Just 'cause I do remember stuff doesn't mean I don't know stuff." He ruffled her hair again.

"That's exactly what it means, you little smart-alack." They laughed, forgetting about Neal's father for the moment. They finished up the pizza and continued with their errands. When they finished up, they returned to Neal's apartment. "So, kid... I mean Rose, it's been about a month now and I've been doing some thinking."

"About what?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe you should start going to school." She tilted her head in confusion.

"School? Like with teachers and other kids and stuff?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're about five, so you should have at least started pre-k or kindergarten by now. And besides, you can't stay in the apartment all day doing nothing while I'm working. I really shouldn't be leaving you alone anyway. So, since I have Monday off, we'll go down to the elementary school and get you registered." Rose didn't know how to feel. Since she didn't have any memory, she didn't know if she liked school or not. Was she already enrolled before she left? Was school the reason she left? She was anxious, but she didn't seem to have much of a choice. Neal might have made her go either way.

"O-okay. I guess that's okay. I don't know if I'll like school, but I'll try it." Neal smiled at her.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll be fine. And I'm sure you'll make some friends too." The idea of making friends sounded nice to her. She loved to meet people. Why not be friends with someone her own age.

"Okay! I'll go to school!"

 

Storybrooke

Mr. Gold was in his shop tending to some of the antiques. Lacey was resting at home per his requests. She was only four months, but he didn't want anything to happen while he wasn't around. She could get into too much while she was at home. He was happily waiting for his expecting child. Before the curse, he hadn't know that Belle was pregnant. Waking up that day twenty-eight years ago to a pregnant fiancee was the biggest surprise of his life. Why hadn't Belle told him? Perhaps she didn't know before he was locked away. He was still excited, though he'd never admit it to anyone other than Belle, or rather Lacey.

Gold was still puzzled by something. Rose was last with him before the curse hit. Where was she? She wasn't anywhere in town. She couldn't have disappeared. She had to have come over with the curse. Why wasn't she with him? What did Regina do to her? Since Rose still had the locket, Regina couldn't kill her. She had to have locked her up somewhere like she did Maleficent. If that was the case, Regina would need to watch her back once the curse was broken.

Her son, Henry seemed to know something. He had been on about something with his book of the stories of the Enchanted Forest. No one believe him, of course, but Rumple and Regina both knew it was true. Henry kept mentioning something about Rumple's daughter, but it didn't make sense. She was never in the town. How did he know about her? He was brought from his thoughts by the bell over his front door ringing. He didn't need to get up to know who it was. "Gold? You in here?"

"Well, it is my shop." Just who he was waiting for. Emma Swan, who was now the town deputy, entered the back where he was working. She was surprised and overwhelmed by a horrible smell.

"Woah. What is that?"

"Oh. This is Lanolin. Used for water-proofing."

"Smells like live stock." He gave a small chuckle.

"It is the reason why sheep's wool repels water."

"It stinks. How does your fiancee put up with that?"

"I tend to keep her away from the stuff. Sensitive nose and all." The look of disgust on her face was amusing to the older man. He had come accustomed to such bad smells that they don't phase him. He placed the brush back inside of the can and wiped his hands.

"If there was a reason you called the sheriff's department, if you talk about that quickly or outside." He stood up from his desk and walked around it over to her.

"I just wanted to...express my condolences, really. The sheriff was a good man." Sheriff Graham had been the sheriff since the curse was enacted. Nothing really happened to much for him to do anything worthwhile before Emma's arrival. Even then, he was good at his job and was actually helpful. He had "mysteriously" died a while back. Gold knew Regina had something to do with it, but didn't care enough to figure out what. Gold looked down to Emma's waist and noticed something. "You're still wearing the deputy's badge. Well, he's been gone two weeks now. And believe after two weeks of acting as sheriff, the job becomes yours. You'll have to wear the real badge."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just not in a hurry. So, um, thank you for the kind words." After a brief moment of silence, she turned and left. Gold wasn't quite done with his business with her just yet. As he left the office, he followed her out front.

"I have his things." She turned around.

"What?" He walked over to a cardboard box sitting on the counter.

"The sheriff. He rented an apartment I owned. Another reason for my call, really. I wanted to know if I could offer you a keepsake." She was hesitant, but answered quickly.

"I don't need anything." He smirked a bit.

"As you wish. I'll give them to Mayor Mills. Seems like she was the closest thing he had to family." He had gotten her attention as she walked back to the counter.

"I'm not sure about that." He opened the box.

"No love lost there. Look, I fear that all of this stuff is headed directly for the trash bin. You really should take something." He shuffled a little before pulling out a black leather jacket. "Look, his jacket?"

"No." He put it back into the box and looked for something else.

"Oh. Well, look." He pulled out two black walkie talkies. "Your boy might likes these, don't you think? You could play together."

"I don't..." He cut her off.

"No, please. They...They grow up so fast." He tried to keep his emotions in check, but sadness was seen on his face. He wished he had more time with his own children before they disappeared. Emma took the walkies.

"Thanks."

"You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious you know? That's the thing about children. Before you know it...you lose them." Emma stared at him for a moment before turning to leave. Gold wished for nothing more than to get back those years with Baelfire. He wished he hadn't been such a coward and let him fall through that portal. If only he had been a better father. If only he had made better decisions for his boy. He would've been able to keep him with him forever. Then he would've met Rose and they could've been a happy family with Belle. The four, eventually five, of them could've been happy together.

"Rob? Rob?" He was brought from his thoughts by a voice. He then saw that Belle, or rather Lacey, was next to him. She had a look of worry on her face.

"Oh, Lacey, darling? When did you arrive?"

"I just came in through the back. Are you alright? You look upset." He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her forehead.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just...lost in thought. What brings you by?" If she suspected something or didn't believe him, she didn't say. She smiled as she held up a tote bag.

"I thought I'd surprise you with lunch." He chuckled and held her close.

"You are an amazing woman, my dear." He placed his hand on her swollen belly. He still marveled his unborn child, hoping that he or she wouldn't want to leave him like his other children. He hope that he could finally do something right for him/her.

 

Back in New York, Rose suddenly felt a wave of sadness hit her. She didn't know what it was or what it meant. Was someone sad? Did she know who it was? Was she sad? She didn't feel sad or have a reason to at the moment. What did it mean? As soon as the wave hit her, it was gone and replaced with something else. It wasn't sadness, but it still felt sad. Worry? Fear? Anxiety? It was something sad. Once again, the feeling left her again. She didn't understand why she was feeling the things she was. What did it mean?

"Hey, Rose. Come here for a sec." She forgot about the odd waves and went to see what Neal needed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Neal had to run out for some personal errands he had to run. Rose questioned what, but he never gave her an answer. All he said was that he wouldn't be too long and she would be fine by herself for a bit. Rose didn't mind being by herself. It felt somewhat natural for her to be alone for long periods of time. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. All she knew was that she could take care of herself well enough until Neal returned. They ate breakfast together before he left, so she wasn't really hungry. She occupied her time drawing and watching television in Neal's room. At some point, she fell asleep on the bed.

 

Opening her eyes, she was in a completely different room. In a completely different house. The room was about as Neal apartment. In a corner, there was a trunk overflowing with dolls and stuffed animals. There was also a fire place on the other side of the room and a large window with pink drapes by the bed she was lying in. Pushing the covers off of herself, she found herself wearing a white sleeping gown with a pink bow around the collar. She found it odd. Neal never bought her a gown like that.

She climbed out of the bed and went to the window. Looking outside, she saw a many gardens surrounding the building. At the edge of the gardens was a concrete wall. Rose was both enchanted and confused at what she saw. There were so many beautiful gardens with different flowers and fruits, but she didn't know where she was. She knew for sure that she wasn't in Neal's apartment anymore.

She decided to go exploring. Leaving the room, she was met with a long hallway on each side of her. She decided to go left first. She opened the first door and found an empty bedroom. It too had a fire place and large window with red drapes. Finding no one inside, she continued exploring. The next few room were either empty or locked. Reaching the end of the hall, she went in the opposite direction. 

Before she could open the next door, she heard sounds coming from down the stairs. Ignoring the room, she went to investigate the sounds. She slowly made her way down the many stairs. When she reached the bottom, she saw that the floor was much different from the upper one. There was a large living room with furniture and various collectibles adorning the room. She also noticed that her clothes changed. Instead of the white sleep gown, she was currently wearing pink Dora the Explorer pajamas. She was even more confused.

"This is weird." 

"Flower? Are you up, sweetheart?" She recognized that voice. It was the one she heard in her dreams. The one that was always telling her to come home. She went in search of the voice and found a kitchen. Standing at the stove was a man with rumpled brown hair cooking. He was turned around, so she couldn't see his face.

"Um...hello?" The man turned and she was startled. The man had unusual green skin and big reptilian amber eyes. He wore a black and brown vest with a tan long sleeved shirt and brown leather pants and boots. He looked like some kind of monster, yet Rose didn't feel afraid of him. Something told her that he was probably nice. Probably. The man smiled at her.

"Good morning, my flower. How did you sleep?" Flower? Why was he calling her "Flower?" It was definitely weird.

"Good...I think." She took a seat at the table.

"No bad dreams, I hope."

"Not really." Was she in the middle of a weird one?

"Well good. And I have prepared some strawberry pancakes just for you." She perked up at the promise of strawberry pancakes. She liked almost anything with strawberries. He placed three pancakes on a a plate and brought it over to the table, setting them down in front of her.

"Yay!" The man chuckled at her as he turned back towards the kitchen, out of her line of sight.

"Enjoy them, sweetheart. Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you. I have a long day ahead of me and I'm already late. Never a good thing." When he was in her sights again, he had changed. His green skin and reptilian amber eyes were replaced with normal white skin and brown eyes. He wore a black suit with a matching vest and a navy blue shirt and tie. He also used a black cane with a gold handle. 

"Wait...Weren't you..."

"I'm sorry, my dear. I really must get going. I'll be back by the end of the day. You know the rules. I'll see you soon." He kissed her forehead and headed out the door. Rose was puzzled about what was going on. Who was that man? And why did his appearance change like that? Was it really the same man? And why did the house change? She didn't know what to think. Leaving the pancakes forgotten on the kitchen table, she went to the window and looked out. What she saw was the most bizarre thing she had ever seen. 

She ran to the front door and opened it. The outside was even weirder than the inside. It seemed that the world was split. Half was the large gardens and walls she saw when she was upstairs. The other half was a front yard and a neighborhood. The two sides were so different and didn't belong together. What was even more surprising was that Rose thought they both looked familiar to her. What did it mean?

"Hi there!" Rose looked in the direction of the eerily familiar voice. It sounded much like her own, but that wasn't possible, right? On the gardened side was a little girl in a red dress with long sleeves and white ruffles. The girl looked exactly like Rose. She had the same brown hair, same emerald eyes, same locket, same everything. It was Rose. "Hello!"

"Um...Hi? You look like me."

"Yeah! And you look like me!"

"And I look like both of you!" The Roses looked to the neighborhood side and saw another Rose. This one wore a pink flowery sundress and matching sandals. "Hi, guys! I'm Lily."

"Hey, Lily. Rose finally found us." Rose 1 was confounded. How were there three of her? "Okay, Rose. My name is Rose too. Looks like you know your real name now. Yay for you!"

"Wait. My name is Rose? And your name is Rose?" Rose 2 nodded.

"Yep because I'm you!" Lily bounced excitedly.

"Me too! Me too!" Rose 1 didn't understand anything that was going on.

"So...what...?" Rose 2 saw her confusion and decided to explain things to her.

"Me and Lily are both you. You lost your memory when you left that night. We're both your memories! Lily has more memory than me, though. She's been around longer." Lily nodded.

"Yeah. We're both still with you, but you just can't get to us yet. We know you'll remember one day." Rose 1 tried to put the pieces together.

"So, if you are my memories, can you tell me who I am? Where I came from? Do I have a mommy and daddy?" Rose 2 and Lily looked to each other for a moment, then back to Rose 1. Lily approached her.

"We can, but we're not supposed to." Rose 1 tilted her head in confusion.

"Why not?" Rose 2 also approached.

"'Cause you're supposed to remember on your own. We can help you, but we can't tell you everything. And you might not remember everything after you wake up."

"Wake up?" Lily and Rose 2 both rippled. Lily pouted.

"Aww. Neal's back. She has to wake up now." Rose 2 pouted as well.

"Yeah. That's no fun." The two girls rippled again. Rose 1 tried to reach out to them.

"Wait! Don't go!" Rose 2 smiled at her.

"Don't worry. You'll see us again! We'll be here when you need us!"

"Yeah! We'll see you next time!"

"But..." Lily and Rose 2 rippled and faded away, as did the rest of the world around her.

 

"Hey, Rose. Time to get up." Rose opened her eyes and focused them on Neal. She was no longer in her dream world. She was awake. She still didn't understand what all of it meant. Was it really all just a dream? It had to be, right? Those girls weren't really her memories. Or were they? They seemed to real to only be apart of some bizarre dream. And what about that man she saw? Who was he? How did he fit into everything. "Hey? You alright?"

"Uh...Yeah. I just...had a really weird dream." Neal chuckled as she sat up in the bed.

"Yeah. We all have those odd dreams every now and again. They're nothing to worry about, though. Dreams are just dreams. You don't need to be concerned about them." But it felt so real. Maybe she'll dream about the girls again. They did say they'll be there when she needs them. How will she know when she'll need them? She had so many unanswered questions. "Alright, come on. Time to start making dinner. Tamara's coming over to eat with us."

"Does she have to?" He chuckled.

"Yes. I invited her. You're so nice to everyone else. I don't understand why you don't like her." She shrugged.

"I don't know. I just...feel like there's something wrong with her. I don't trust her."

"Well, you haven't really had enough time to get to know her. Tell you what. Why don't you two spend some time together next weekend. Have a little girl's day out. You two will really get to talk and get a feel for each other. Maybe you'll like her then." Rose scrunched her face up.

"I don't know..."

"Give her a chance. I guarantee you'll like her. Come on. Try to like her? For me?" He tried to give her a sad puppy look, but it was really bad and she laughed.

"Okay. I'll try, but I don't have to like her until she gives me a reason." Neal chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You are too smart for your age, kid, but deal."


	4. Chapter 4

When Rose went to sleep later that night, she didn't dream about her other selves. Maybe it was just a one time dream she had. None of it really happened anyway. Besides, she had other things to worry about. Neal was going to put her in school that day. She didn't have any memories of ever going to school, so she didn't know what to expect. Were the kids going to be nice? Was the teacher going to be nice? Would she like school? She would find out when she got there.

That morning, Neal got Rose up early and they went to the nearest pre-school. He had called ahead and made an appointment with the principal of the school. Luckily, they still had openings in a couple of the classes. Rose grew more and more nervous as they walked to the school. She was suddenly having second thoughts about going to school, but she knew Neal wouldn't change his mind. He could be very stubborn when he wanted to. That, and he mentioned something about her having to go to school or the foster home would have to call something called a truant officer. She wasn't sure what that was, but it didn't sound good.

"Hey, kid. You feeling alright? You've been kinda quiet." She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to Neal's worried expression.

"Yeah, I just...I don't know if I want to go to school anymore. What if the kids or the teachers don't like me? What if I get bullied?" He knelt down to her level and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't think like that. Of course everyone is gonna like you. There's nothing not to like about you. You're sweet, you're nice, you're smart. Everyone's gonna love you, especially the teachers. Since you're well mannered, they won't have to worry about you being a troublemaker. They have enough of those to worry about." Rose giggled. While she was still nervous, Neal helped ease her a bit. Maybe everything would be fine.

They finally made it to the school. It was only a ten minute walk from their apartment, so Neal could walk with her every morning before he went to work. The school was a small building compared to the rest of the city that Rose had seen. When they walked in, Rose's eyes lit up as bright as the hall. There were bright white walls covered with cartoon animals and projects done by the kids. The place looked nice enough. They walked over to a woman sitting behind a desk. She smiled at them.

"Hello. How may I help you?"

"Hey. I have an appointment with Dr. Norris about enrollment." She turned to her computer.

"Okay. Name?"

"Neal Cassidy." She typed something into the computer.

"Okay, here you are, Mr. Cassidy. She will be out in a minute. If you'll please have a seat, she'll be right with you."

"Thank you." Neal and Rose went over to the small sitting area and waited. While they waited, Rose played with the few toys and blocks they had set out. She used the big Legos to make a building. Specifically, she worked to make the Empire State Building. She had seen it a lot on TV and Neal even took her there when he was showing her around. Unfortunately, the tickets were too expensive, so they didn't get to go on a tour. Rose still hopes that they'll get to go one day. She was wrapped up in her work that she didn't hear the principal approach them.

"Mr. Cassidy?" Neal stood up and greeted the woman.

"That's me. Dr. Norris, I assume?" They shook hands.

"Yes. You wish to enroll your daughter into the school?"

"Uh...yeah, but she's not actually my daughter. More like a foster kid." She nodded in understanding.

"Still new at parenting?" He chuckled.

"Yeah. Very new. I've only been doing this for about a month." She smiled.

"Well, that's understandable, but no need to worry. My school will be the perfect place for her. The classes have a 15 to 1 ratio of students to teachers. That way, she won't feel uncomfortable around big crowds while also learning social skills and everything else she needs to know." Neal nodded.

"Okay. That sounds fine. She was very nervous about coming, but I hope she'll start feeling comfortable here."

"As do I. May I meet the young lady?"

"Of course. Rose?" Rose turned to the adults above her. Dr. Norris smiled as she knelt down to her.

"Well, hello Ms. Rose. You have a very pretty name." Rose smiled at the lady.

"Thank you. I picked it myself." The principal chuckled.

"Did you now? Well, you picked very nicely."

"Thank you. You wanna see what I made with the blocks?"

"Of course. What is it?" Rose moved over a bit and pulled over her completed project. Dr. Norris's eyes widened in surprise. Rose managed to make an exact replica of the Empire State Building made of Legos.

"Oh my! That is very impressive, Rose. I have never seen a child your age make something like this. You must have a lot of practice doing this at home." Rose shrugged.

"Not really. This was my first time." This surprised the principal even more.

"Well, that is certainly new. You certainly have an eye for detail." Rose smiled.

"Thank you." Dr. Norris stood up and turned to Neal.

"Well, we do have a class for her to be put in, although I think she might qualify for our gifted program."

"Gifted program?"

"Yes. It's mainly for children with higher than average IQs and special talents or abilities. Most of the children are well on their way to skipping up to first and second grade. If that is the case for Rose, the elementary school also has the program to have the children stay with others in their age group while also interacting with the older kids so they can learn to adapt to new environments and gain more social skills." Neal thought about it for a moment. He knew Rose was very intelligent and very willing to socialize, but did he really want her in that sort of program. Would that put stress on her?

"Well, I don't know about that. How about we put her in a regular class and see where that goes?"

"That's absolutely fine. We already have her teacher expecting her. We just need to handle some forms and she'll be enrolled."

"Great. If you'll come this way to my office, we'll get everything signed and handled."


	5. Chapter 5

Storybrooke

The whole sheriff debacle was finally over. Emma was rightfully the new sheriff. Henry was happy that Regina lost. He believed that good could always win. He was happy, but there was still one thing constantly on his mind: Lily. Or rather, Rose. There has been no sign of her anywhere in town since she mysterious disappeared. Everyone still has no idea who she is. They eventually started to dismiss her as an imaginary friend. He knew she was real, he just couldn't prove. Since Rumpelstiltskin always kept her hidden, she didn't appear anywhere in the book. How could he find her? How could he prove that she wasn't just a figment of his imagination?

"Hey kid." Emma climbed up to his castle and sat down next to him. He smiled at her.

"Sheriff Swan." She chuckled.

"Don't have to be so formal with me, kid. Emma is fine."

"I prefer to call you Mom."

"Right. Still need to get used to that." She looked at his book, which was open to a random page with a picture of a strange looking man with a long brown cloak.

"Still hooked on the idea everyone's a fairy tale character?"

"Yes, but...that's not what I'm worried about right now." Emma gave him a worried look.

"What going on?"

"I still don't know what happened to Lily. How can she just disappear without anyone remembering her?" Emma sighed at this. Of course, along with the whole Operation Cobra thing, he told her about his friend Lily, or Rose. He called her both, claiming Rose was her fairy tale name and Lily was her curse name.

"Kid, she was probably just an imaginary friend you made up. No one knows anything about her."

"But she's not imaginary! She's real! You've seen her! The night you came here, that little girl that ran out in front of your car! The one I talked to! Don't you remember?! You have to! It was Rose!" Emma saw how upset he was getting over this. Rose, or Lily, seemed to be very important to him. Emma noticed that Henry didn't have too many friends. He didn't seem to have any. He was a lonely kid. It would make sense that he would make up a friend of his own. Even with that in mind, she did briefly remember seeing a little girl that night. Henry claimed her to be Gold's daughter, but Gold didn't have a kid yet. His fiancée was pregnant, but he didn't seem to have any other children.

"Okay, calm down. I do remember her a little, but she's nowhere in town. Maybe she was just a runaway from another town. That could explain why no one knows who she is." Henry slammed his book closed and stood up.

"No! I know Rose lived here! She was Gold's daughter! She was my only friend! And now she's gone and no one seems to care!"

"Henry..."

"I'm going home!" He grabbed his stuff and climbed down from his castle.

"Henry, wait..." It was too late as he ran home. It wasn't too often that Henry would have an emotional breakdown, but he couldn't take it anymore. His only friend was gone. The one person that was always there for him. The one person that supported him. The one person that made him smile when he was upset. She was gone and he didn't know where. He didn't know why. He had suspected that Regina had something to do with it. She never liked Rose just for the fact that she was Gold's daughter. Just like she got rid of Graham, she could've gotten rid of Rose. Henry didn't know if Regina was evil enough to kill a little girl, but who knows? She had sent many kids into the witch's house for her poisoned apple. It was a possibility.

When Henry got home, he ran straight to his room, ignoring Regina calling after him about running in the house. He slammed his door and laid down on his bed. He wanted to scream! He wanted to shout! He wanted to cry! Strong emotions were stirring inside the ten-year-old boy. He truly missed his best friend more than anything. She would be able to help prove to everyone of their past. She had her memories back. She remembered who she was. He still didn't understand how or why her memories returned. Emma was supposed to be the one to return the memories of everyone. Why did Rose's come back?

"Henry?" Regina slowly opened the door and let herself in. "Everything alright?"

He didn't answer her. He still thought she might have known what happened to Rose. It was a strong possibility. She was the Evil Queen. She got rid of anything and anyone that got in her way. She sat next to him and rubbed his back.

"You're not still upset about the election, are you?"

"Where's Lily?" Regina looked confused.

"Who?" Henry sat up.

"Lily! Mr. Gold's daughter! My friend! You know who she is!" She sighed.

"Are you still talking about her? Henry, she's not real. She's just..."

"She's not my imaginary friend! She's real! What did you do to her?!"

"Don't take that tone with me, young man. You know Gold doesn't have a daughter and this Lily is not a real person." Henry was tired of hearing the same thing every time he told someone about his best friend. He knew she was real. There was no way she wasn't real. He had ten years worth of memories of her. He had to be real.

"She is. No one remembers her, but I do. She was my friend." Regina discouraged about this little girl that no one seemed to know. He was dead set on her having always being real. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, Henry. I know you're upset about this Lily girl, but she's not real. If no one else knows who she is, then she couldn't have been real. I'm sorry." Henry turned away from her saying nothing. He didn't see any reason to try and defend Lily to Regina. If she did get rid of Lily, she'd never admit it. He would just have to find her. If Emma broke the curse, would she come back? She had to, right?

Seeing as he wouldn't talk any more, Regina got up and left Henry to himself. He needed some time to himself. After leaving the room, she kept thinking about what Henry was talking about. Ever since Emma arrived in town, he had been talking about some girl named Rose or Lily. Regina couldn't remember him ever having an imaginary friend. She couldn't recalling him having many friends at all. What was the significance of this girl? And why did he keep saying she was Gold's daughter?

Speaking of which, Regina still didn't know what happened to Rumpelstiltskin's daughter. She still had no idea how Belle ended up with him. She was sure she had her locked away. The girl wasn't anywhere in town. Is she who Henry was talking about? If she was, she was once in the town. Then where did she disappear to? More importantly, why did Henry have memories of her and no one else? Regina had no memory of ever seeing the child in Storybrooke. Did she still somehow have access to her magic? Did she disappear and erase everyone's memories when Emma arrived? Why would she do that?

Regina shook the thoughts from her thoughts. There was no way. Storybrooke blocked any and all magic, including her own. Aside from that, the child was still only five-years-old and she was separated from Rumple. Why would she leave him? If anything, she'd try anything to stay with him. She would have no reason to be away from him if he was her protector. None of it made sense. Where was she?


	6. Chapter 6

Later on that night, Rose had another dream that started off the same way as when she met her other selves. It started with the man who was supposedly her father in the kitchen cooking breakfast. He had his odd green skin and large eyes. She wasn't as surprised the second time around. After he gave her breakfast, he changed to his normal skin and clothes. He kissed her forehead and left for "work."

When Rose looked for her other selves, she only found Lily. Lily explained it was because she didn't need the other Rose at the moment and that she only sees who she needs at the time. Accepting this answer, she told Lily all about her first day of school. She enjoyed it a lot. She loved meeting other kids and learning new things. Lily told her about some of the days she herself had in school. The other Rose never went to school and always learned from Rumpelstiltskin or Belle. Rose didn't really know who they were besides fairy tale characters, but she figured she would learn more about them later.

"School was so much fun! I can't wait to go back! The principal and the teacher think I can go to the 'advanced' class with other kids like me!"

"Cool! Maybe you'll get to skip grades like I did! You learn a lot more stuff like the older kids!"

"That sounds like fun! Are the older kids nice?"

"The ones I knew were. They helped me around the school and on the lessons, especially Henry." Rose tilted her head in confusion.

"Who's Henry?"

"He's our best friend. We've been friends with him forever! He didn't have a lot of friends, so I decided to be his friend. We were both adopted by people who other people were afraid of." Rose didn't understand what she meant by that, but she wanted to know more.

"What's our mom and dad like? Are they nice?" Lily thought for a moment of how to explain it. The situation in Storybrooke was a bit different and kind of complicated.

"Daddy is. Not really Mommy. She's very mean and mad a lot. She used to hurt us all the time and didn't always feed us. We were always nice to her and loved her, but she didn't love us and I don't know why. She was really scary." Hearing this made Rose scared and upset.

"Daddy didn't stop her? Is that why we left?" Lily shook her head.

"No. Daddy is really nice. Daddy saved us from Mommy and adopted us. He loved us a lot! He read us stories and took us to the park and helped with homework and everything. He even got us a puppy!" Rose lit up.

"We have a puppy?!"

"Yeah! Her name is Lady and she's a really good dog! Even Daddy likes her! He's a good daddy. Even when he was scary to other people, he was really nice to us. He did everything Mommy didn't. We love Daddy." Before Rose could respond, a large bubble floated down from above and floated between the girls. Rose jumped back in surprise.

"What's that?" Lily smiled and clapped excitedly.

"It's a memory! You're remembering stuff! Look!" Looking into the bubble, Rose watched for what it would do. It filled up with a fog for a moment. When the fog cleared, she saw a box in the middle of a room. She tilted her head in confusion. The scene moved from the box to the man that she learned to be her father. He smiled at her.

"Go and open it." The box came closer into view and she saw small hands reach for the box. Rose could only assume they were her hands. She took the top off and gasped at what she saw. She reached inside and pulled out a small dog with a pink ribbon around her neck.

"It's a doggie!" 

"Yes. And she's yours." She heard herself laugh as she hugged and petted the small dog.

"She's so pretty! I love her! What's her name?"

"Lady. Unless you wish to change it." 

"No. Lady is pretty. Her name is Lady." Lady licked her face, causing the small child to giggle in delight. She put Lady down and went over to her father. She hugged him and he hugged her back. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Anything for you, my dear flower." The bubble then floated up and away.

"That's great! You remembered something!" Rose was still a bit confused.

"Will that happen a lot?"

"Whenever you remember something that you forgot it will. Me and Rose can both help you get back the memories we have. Hopefully you can remember everything soon. Then you can know who you are."

"But am I suppose to be you or Rose? I'm confused." Lily placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It is confusing, but it's okay. You'll figure it out and we will be here to help you because we are you!" Rose smiled.

"Thanks. Can you tell me more about Daddy?"

The rest of the night, Lily told Rose about their dad without giving away too much detail. Lily could only do so much to help Rose recover her memories without telling her everything that happened in Storybrooke. Along the way, Rose recovered more and more memories about her life in the small town. She remembered the times when she and her daddy would read stories, watch movies, and cook together. They were major memories, but Rose was happy having knowing something about the nice man that took care of her and loved her unconditionally. She still wondered why she left and how she ended up in New York with Neal. She liked Neal, but she was starting to miss her Daddy.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"When can I go back home? I want to see Daddy. I may not remember everything, but I feel like I really love him and miss him." Lily gave her a sad smile.

"We do miss him, but we can't go home yet. Not until you get your memories back or until he finds us, but it's okay. Staying with Neal isn't all that bad, right?"

"Yeah. Neal's nice and he takes care of me. He's kinda like a big brother."

"Right. He'll keep us safe until we can go home to Daddy." Rose liked the sound of that, but wondered something.

"But what about after that? I really like Neal. You can see the future. Will we never see him again after we go back to Daddy?" Lily shook her head.

"I can't see the future. Rose can, but she can't tell you anything about the future. She's not allowed to. That and she said that the future keeps changing and changing. Whatever happens might still happen, but it happens in different ways." Rose frown, dejected. She didn't want to leave Neal forever. She wanted to have him in her life even after she goes home. Lily placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But don't worry. I'm sure Neal will come and visit us. He likes us too. I'm sure he'll want to see us after that."

"You think so?" Lily nodded.

"Yep. He can't get rid of us that easy." Rose giggled.

"Yeah. I think you're right. Neal will always be a big brother to me no matter what." Lily smiled and stood up.

"That's the spirit. Well, it's almost time for you to get up. Ready for another day of school?" Rose bounced up excitedly.

"Yeah! School will be even better today!"


	7. Chapter 7

Rose had been in school for a week and was already at the top of her class. Both the teacher and the principal knew that Rose was much smarter than anyone else her age. This was brought to Neal's attention and the special class that Dr. Norris recommended was still up for debate. He knew Rose had a lot of potential. He thought that maybe the higher class would be better for her to expand her horizons. He still needed to think about it. Rose, on the other hand, was all for the idea. As much as she had grown to like her teacher and classmates in that week, she was more than happy to meet new people and learn more things. It was up to Neal at that point.

At home, things weren't as fun for Rose. It came the day that she had dreaded all week. She had to spend the day with Tamara, Neal's girlfriend. Rose didn't like Tamara, but she couldn't figure out why. Rose liked everyone and gave everyone a chance. Something about Tamara was really off for Rose not to like her. She didn't understand what was so off-putting about that woman.

"Neeeeeeaaaaaallllllllll..." Neal chuckled.

"Yyyyyyeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh?"

"Do I hhaaavvveee to spend the day with her?"

"Yyyyyyyeeeeeeesssssss, you ddddoooooo." Rose pouted.

"Okay, now you're just making fun of me." He chuckled again and he ruffled her hair playfully.

"Yeah, I'm just messing with you, kid. And you do need to spend the day with Tamara. She's not as bad as you think she is." Rose fixed her hair.

"Of course you'd say that. She's your girlfriend. I don't like her."

"Why not?"

"I don't know! And I really don't like her because I don't know why I don't like her!"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I know! Can't I just pretend I like her when she's around and not like her when she's not?"

"Not an option, kid. You two really haven't had that much time to get used to each other. It's only been a month and you haven't really seen that much of her to warrant your dislike for her. She's my girlfriend and I want you two to try to get along." Rose crossed her arms and pouted. Neal knelt down to her level and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you're important to me. And so is she. Is it wrong for me to want to two girls in my life to get along?"

"...No..."

"Okay. You're both going to be in my life for a while. Do you think you can maybe try to get along with her? For me?" Rose didn't like it, but she wanted Neal to be happy. He did a lot of things for her that he didn't have to. He didn't have to keep her. He didn't have to help her find her family. He didn't have to do a lot of the things he did for her, but he did. The least she could do was try.

"Fine, but if I still don't like her, you have to deal with it!" He chuckled and ruffled her hair again.

"Deal." She fixed her hair again.

"Stop doing that."

 

Neal dropped Rose off at Tamara's place and left to run some errands. As much as Rose would rather be elsewhere, she made a promise to try to like Tamara. Tamara knew of the child's dislike for her and didn't understand it. She had been nothing but nice to the little girl. Had she given her a reason to dislike her? She hoped to turn that around.

"So, Rose. Are you hungry? I have plenty of snack."

"I ate before I got here."

"Oh. Okay, that's fine. Um...What do you like to do for fun?" Rose was silent for a moment before answering.

"I like being outside."

"That's great. We can go to the park and play. Or we can go to the zoo, if you like. We got the whole day to do whatever you want." As much as she didn't want to admit it, going to the zoo sounded like fun. She and Neal went once before and she enjoyed it. She couldn't wait to go again. Neal also promised her a trip to the aquarium at another time. Could she pass up another opportunity to go back to see the all of the animals again?

"The zoo is kinda fun." Tamara smiled.

"Alright then. I guess it's off to the zoo. I'm going to change and grab a few things, then we can go." Tamara got up and went into the back room. Rose took the opportunity to look around the place. Her place was similar to Neal's in the sense that there were no pictures or photo albums of family or friends anywhere. Just a few decorations so the apartment wasn't bare. Was she lonely like Neal was? Did she not like her family either? Did she even have a family? Were she and Neal the same? Who was this woman really? And why did she give Rose such a bad feeling?

Looking around a little more, she examined the small kitchen. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Just the usual stove, refrigerator, pots, pans, the usual. Leaving the kitchen, she walked down the small hall right before Tamara's closed bedroom door. There were two other doors across room each other. Opening one, Rose saw a bathroom. Nothing out of the ordinary there, expect for the penguin theme that it had. Rose noted that it must be Tamara's favorite animal. She couldn't really blame her. Penguins are adorable. Closing that door, she went to the others which she assumed was a closet. She tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. Why was it locked? What was in there?

"Okay, Rose. Ready to go?" Rose turned her attention from the door to Tamara who changed into a gray sweater, red scarf, black leggings and gray boots.

"Yeah. What's in there?" Rose caught a glimpse of something in her eyes before it was gone. She didn't know what it was, but she was suspicious of it.

"Nothing important for you to know about. Everyone has their little secrets, right?"

"Yeah, but it's the big ones people should worry about." Tamara's eyes narrowed before she laughed.

"Neal really wasn't lying when he said you were wise for your age. Not to worry, though. No big secrets around here. I promise." Rose was skeptical, but let it go for the moment. They left the apartment and went to the zoo.

As much as Rose hated to admit it, she actually had fun at the zoo with Tamara. She seemed to enjoy the animals just as much as Rose did, especially the penguins. Rose's hunch about that was right. Her personal favorite animal was the flamingo. It was a big pink bird! Of course she loved them! They ate lunch at the zoo café and then went to the petting zoo, Rose's favorite part. They both had fun feeding and petting the animals. It was actually a pretty fun day.

After they left the zoo, they went back to Tamara's apartment. Rose felt tired and decided to take a nap until Neal picked her up. Tamara let the child sleep in her bed since it was far more comfortable than the couch. It was only a matter of minutes before she fell asleep.

 

Rose was back in the house, except her father wasn't there. Maybe it was because it wasn't night time? She didn't question it too much. She went out to meet her other selves, or in case self. Only the other Rose met her, so she assumed Lily wasn't needed at the moment. 

"Hi, Rose!" 

"Hey! I really had a lot of fun with Tamara today. I don't really know if I can like her or not now. What do you think?"

"Don't trust her!" Rose was taken aback by her doppelganger's reaction.

"W-Why? Is she bad?"

"She is very bad! I seen it! She does a lot of bad things! To all of us! She's not a good person!" Rose was somewhat satisfied in knowing that she was right not to like Tamara. At the same time, she was hoping that she was wrong about her.

"What happens? What does she do?! What did you see about her?!"

"I can't tell you. You're not supposed to know about the future. But just listen to me. Tamara is bad news. Really, really, REALLY, bad news."

"I knew it! When I tell Neal..." The other Rose stopped her.

"No! You can't tell Neal!"

"But..."

"Listen to me, Rose. We can't tell Neal anything. He's not gonna believe us and he might give us back to that home. We need to stay with him so we can get home to Papa. Besides, even if we do get rid of her, it doesn't change anything. She's still gonna do bad things."

"How do you know that?" The other Rose paused and looked sad.

"Because...I seen it before with Mama and Papa back home. In our first home. Even when we tried to stop it from happening, it happened anyway. We couldn't stop it and they were taken away from us. Papa didn't come back home and Mama was taken back to her old home. Papa told me that the future doesn't always turn out the way you think it does. Sometimes trying to change it will only make it worse. I seen what happens and I don't want to know how it could be worse. 

"Bad things are gonna happen and we can't try to stop it. When you have my memories and magic back, you'll know what I mean. Maybe you can try to do something about it, I don't know. Right now, though, you have to keep this to yourself. Things are gonna happen how they happen and we have to be ready when it does. Until then, you have to pretend to like Tamara for right now. It'll make Neal happy."

Rose didn't like the situation one bit. If Tamara was going to do something bad to them, why can't she try to stop it? Will it really get worse if she does? Rose and Lily haven't lied to her yet and have done what they could to help her. Will not doing anything really be better? She couldn't see the future, but the other Rose could. She has to trust her. Whatever happens to her happens to all of them. They wouldn't lead her astray. She sighed.

"Okay, fine. I won't say anything, but I don't know how long I can pretend to like her." The other Rose giggled.

"I know, but let's just try, okay? We want Neal to be happy, right?" 

"Yeah. I won't like it, but I'll be nice to her for Neal." The other Rose smiled. 

"Good. Now, Neal's here to get us. Time to wake up."

"Wait! I need to ask you something else!"

"What?"

"That door that Tamara has locked. What's behind it?" She shrugged.

"I dunno. We never find out what's behind that door. It's always locked every time we come here." Rose groaned.

"You mean we come here even more?!" The other Rose giggled.

"Yeah. Come on. Time to get now." They both stood up. Rose waved.

"Okay. Bye. See ya later." The other Rose waved back.

"See ya."

 

When Rose woke up, she wasn't in Tamara's bed anymore. She was being held by someone, presumably Neal. She was about to open her eyes when they started talking.

"How did it go?"

"Great. We had so much fun at the zoo today. Now I know her favorite animal." Neal chuckled.

"Yeah. She loves those flamingos. Well, hopefully she had as much fun. Maybe she likes you now."

"I hope so, but it takes more than a day to get someone to like you. I, at least, hope she tolerates me now."

"Well, we'll find out soon. Again, thanks for doing this."

"My pleasure. She's such a cutie."

"Yeah, she is. Alright, I'm gonna take her home now. See you later."

"See you." Rose wanted so badly to tell Neal about Tamara, but she couldn't. Not only did the other Rose warn her, but there was nothing she could tell him. The other Rose couldn't tell Rose what it was she saw. And even if she could, Neal wouldn't believe and think she's making up reasons not to like her. She had to keep quiet and act like she liked Tamara. It was going to be hard, but it was all she could do.


	8. Chapter 8

Ever since that dream with Rose's other self telling her not to trust Tamara, Rose has become even warier of the woman. What was so bad about her that her other self freaked out so bad? It must be really bad. She wished to could just get rid of Tamara and avoid if from happening, but she doesn't even know what it is. Rose warned her that trying to stop her can make it worse. Whatever it was, she would just have to wait for it.

In other news, Neal finally decided to allow Rose to move to the advanced class. She had been in school for a month and she had already passed up the rest of her class. The lessons were too easy and she breezed right through them. Neal figured she would want a challenge. So after another talk with the principal, she was placed in the advanced class. She was excited for her first day there. The principal escorted her to the new class.

"Are you excited about your new class, Rose?"

"Yeah! It sounds like so much fun! I can't wait to meet everyone!" The principal giggled.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun and make lots of new friends." They finally made it to the classroom. The principal knocked on the door before entering. There weren't as many kids as her first class and there were two teachers instead of one, a man and a woman. The woman smiled and approached the two.

"Good morning, Dr. Norris. Is this our new student?"

"Yes. This is Rose Cassidy. Rose, this is Mrs. Williams. She will be one of your teachers." Rose smiled.

"Hello, Mrs. Williams. It is very nice to meet you." Mrs. Williams giggled.

"My, my. Such a proper young lady. I have a feeling you'll enjoy our class. I'll take her from here, Dr. Norris."

"She's all yours. If you need anything, you know where to find me." Mrs. Williams took Rose's hand and led her to the front of the classroom.

"Okay, class. Gather around on the learning carpet." The kids moved from their desks to the carpet at the front of the room. The other teacher stood behind the kids. "Class, today we have a new student joining us. Tell everyone your name, sweetheart."

"My name is Rose. It's very nice to meet all of you."

"Hi, Rose!"

"Now we're all going to do our best to make her feel welcome. You all know how scary the first day of class can be. Let's make sure that she's comfortable here, okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Williams!"

"Great. Now, Rose, why don't you have a seat on the carpet?" Rose sat down next to a boy on the carpet. She gave him a smile and he smiled back. "Alright, boys and girls, we're going to introduce ourselves one-by-one so Rose knows who we are just like we did at the beginning of school. You're each going to say your name and one interesting fact about you. Who would like to go first?"

Rose had a lot of fun her first day in an advanced class. Her teachers, who she found out were married, were fun, the other kids were nice, and the class was interesting. She caught onto the lessons they had already started and learned them quickly. Her teachers were impressed with her and she couldn't wait to go back. She was glad that Neal finally let her into the class. She couldn't wait to tell him all about it, but for now, it was nap time. Even Little Einsteins, as the teachers called them, needed to rest.

 

It wasn't often that Rose would dream when she napped. Mostly because there wasn't enough time for the entire dream to play out. This time, for some reason, she did have a dream. Lily was there. With Lily and the other Rose in her mind, they saw everything she saw. 

"Hey, Lily. What are you doing here? I'm only taking a nap."

"I know, but I wanted to see how you were enjoying a new class."

"It's really fun. I learn more things here than the last class. I can't wait to learn more." Lily giggled.

"Yeah. You know, when I was in school, we didn't have any advanced classes. I just got skipped a grade." Rose's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I kept skipping until I was in the third grade with Henry. I got really smart because I made a wish in a wishing well." 

"Do those really work?"

"The one back home does. Maybe you'll get to skip too. You still got the smarts and you learn so much more with the older kids."

"But isn't it scary? Being so small around a bunch of older kids?"

"Yeah, it can be, but I liked it because I was with my best friend. It makes it easier when you have a friend with you. That and being the daughter of someone the whole town is afraid of." Rose's eyes widened in shock.

"People are scared of Daddy? Why? I remember him being really nice and fun! At least, I think I do, right?" Lily nodded.

"Yeah, but he can get scary. There was one time where he got really mad at us and he yelled. And he accidentally hurt us. He didn't mean to and he was really sorry, but I don't think he let himself be forgiven for it even though we did." Rose tried to think back and bring up something about the incident. Another bubble came down from above them and floated between them. As the clouds faded away, Rose saw her daddy in what Lily described to be the shop he owned.

"Lily, you know better than to lie to me, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Now tell me the truth. Did you run out in the middle of the street by yourself?" Rose was confused already. Why would she run out in the middle of the street? That's dangerous and she could get hurt. 

"Yes." He took a deep breath.

"And...and did Ms. Mills pull you from the street?"

"Yes. Daddy? Are you mad?"

"Yes, Lily! I am furious! It was irresponsible of you to do such a thing! You could have been hurt!" Rose jumped when he yelled. None of her recovered memories had him yelling at her. She could clearly see that he was worried for her safety and upset that Ms. Mills, whoever that was, saved her. 

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough! What were you even thinking?! Not only did you put your life in danger, but you allowed that retched woman to save you!"

"But I..."

"Am I a bad father?! Is that it?" A bad father? Why would that make him think he was a bad father? He's a good father. She may not remember everything, but she knew he was a good father. A great father, even.

"What? No."

"Are you trying to leave me?! Am I that bad of a person that you would wish to kill yourself just to be rid of me?!" The vision began to get a little blurry as she started to cry. She was tearing up herself. He was so upset and mad at her, it was scary.

"No, Daddy! I love you!" Rose gasped as he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Lies! You hate me, don't you?! You believe I'm a horrible father! You regret me ever taking you in!" She tried to pull away to no avail.

"Daddy! Please!"

"Everyone I've ever loved has left me and you're trying to do the same! YOU HATE ME! ADMIT IT!"

"DADDY! YOU'RE HURTING ME!" He suddenly stopped. Rose could almost fell the tinge of pain in her arm where he grabbed her. He let go of her arm and backed away slowly. Rose could see in his eyes that he regretted what he did. 

"I...I'm sorry, flower. I'm so sorry. I..." He struggled to find words. He couldn't say anything that would make what he did right. Rose wasn't mad at him. She felt sorry for him. He didn't mean to hurt her and he couldn't forgive himself. 

"Daddy..." She tried to walk over to him, but he stopped her.

"Please don't. You should stay back, Flower." There was that nickname again. Flower. Something he called her as a term of endearment. A nickname lost in her blank memory banks, yet she still took it as a good sign of him calming himself. "Go in the back. Please."

The memory ended with her going to the back room. The bubble floated up and away. How could that have happened? He was so nice, so calm. Maybe it happens to everyone at least one, right? Nobody's perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Lily wiped away a stray tear.

"That's why he got us Lady. He tried to make up for what happened. We forgave him, but he couldn't forgive himself. All because of that promise he made us when he adopted us. He said that he would never hurt us no matter what. He said he'll never do to us what Mommy did."

"What did Mommy do?" Something flashed in Lily's eyes for a split second. 

"Something we don't need to talk about. Nap time's almost over. You should be waking up in a little bit. I'll see you later, okay?" She got up and started to walk away. Rose stood up as well.

"Wait! Lily..."

 

Rose was awakened from her nap by the teachers. That dream she had. No, that memory she relived. She couldn't believe it actually happened. Her father hurt her in such a way that didn't seem that bad. He put himself down so much over a small incident. Yes, it was scary, but he was forgiven. Why still upset himself with it? She couldn't figure it out and it was on her mind all day. Her class was out on the playground when Neal showed up. She went to get her stuff on the benches while Neal spoke with one of her teachers.

She then started to think about Neal. He was like a big brother to her and they haven't known each other that long. Would he act the same way in a similar situation. Just like with her father, Neal didn't get angry that often. At least, not in front of her. He's never had a reason to yell at her.

"Rose! Look out!" Without realizing it, Rose had walked out the gate and into the street. A car came speeding right for her before she was grabbed and pulled out of the way before she could blink. It all happened so fast that she couldn't process it. Neal stood over her. "Rose!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean 'huh'? You just walked out into the street! That's extremely dangerous! You could've gotten hit by a car!" Neal was...yelling at her? She walked into the street without realizing it. Walked into the street...just like last time. Her father yelled at. Neal was yelling at her. Her father was worried. Neal was worried. She made a reckless decision without even knowing it, causing them both to worry about her. Rose felt tears stinging her eyes. Before she knew it, she started to cry. She was upset with herself. She made them worry. She didn't mean to upset them. Neal saw this and knelt down to her level.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, Rose." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Neal rubbed her back to comfort her.

"It's okay, Rose. I didn't mean to shout. You just scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."He pulled back and wiped away the tears from her emerald eyes.

"I know you didn't. Just...try to be more careful next time and watch where you're going. Alright?" She nodded in confirmation. He stood and took her hand. "Good. What do you say we go get some ice cream and you can tell me about your first day in class."

"Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

Storybrooke

Mr. Gold was working in his shop as usual. Belle, or rather Lacey, was resting at home for once. Or at least he hoped she was. She was just as curious and adventurous as he remembered her. Luckily, Storybrooke didn't have as many dangers as the Enchanted Forest. Storybrooke was a relatively safe small town where nothing eventful happens. That is, except for the little skiff between Emma Swan and the Madam Mayor. Gold was enjoying watching those two butt heads. Gold was pulled from his thoughts by the bell over his door rang. As he got up, he heard the voice of his lovely fiancée.

"Robert?"

"In the back, love." Seconds later, she emerged from behind the curtains. Her swollen belly had only gotten bigger over the last couple of months. Gold found himself more and more excited about their baby. He still couldn't believe he impregnated her back in the Enchanted Forest. He couldn't imagine what would've happened to her if the curse wasn't cast when it was. He couldn't bare the thought of her having to be alone to have the child.

"Robert? Are you alright?" He smiled as he stood up.

"Never been better, darling." He kissed her cheek and placed a hand on her stomach.

"How are you feeling?" She groaned.

"Big and only getting bigger." He chuckled at her.

"Well, that is a good thing. It means our baby is growing."

"Yes, it does. Anyway, I was wondering if I could pull away from your boring work for lunch." He chuckled again.

"My work isn't the least bit boring. Paper work and sorting artifacts can be very thrilling." She playfully rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes. Sorting through old dusty artifacts and over taxing the poor people of Storybrooke must be very exciting. How could I have been so blind to not see that?" They both shared a laugh. She could still be just as sassy when she wants to be. "Is this stuff really more important than spending time with your pregnant fiancée for an hour?"

"Well, of course not. I perish the thought that I put work before you." She smiled.

"Good because I made us a nice lunch at home. It's a new recipe for chili I wanted to try and I need your opinion. With my pregnancy taste buds, everything tastes really good." He chuckled.

"I'm sure whatever you make is perfectly fine. You are a very talented cook, darling."

"I still want you to try it."

"Of course. Give me a few minutes to finish up this last document and we'll go."

"Alright, but hurry up. It isn't a good idea to make your pregnant future wife waiting." Instead of sitting down, she looked around his office. She never really spent that much time there to really know what was around. He had all kinds of artifacts and antiques lying around. For such an organized man, he could be really messy. "Organized chaos" he called it. She could really say anything about it since she was the same way when it came to certain things. "Robert?"

"Yes, dear?" She bit her lip before continuing.

"I've been thinking lately..." He chuckled.

"Oh?"

"Yes, and I was wondering...Well, we've been engaged for some time now. We live together and I'm already pregnant with your child, so I've been wondering...When exactly are we going to get married?" Gold looked up from his paperwork to her. That was a good question. They've been engaged since they were in the Enchanted Forest. Considering the circumstances, they didn't exactly get the chance to finish planning the wedding. Now that time was moving again, Lacey was actually worrying about it. He never really thought about it.

"Well, when would you like to get married? We have more than enough for you to have whatever you want for it." She sat in the chair across from him.

"But when do you want to get married? I don't want to make decisions about it without you having a say. It's your wedding too." He smirked.

"I'm well aware of that, dear. I don't care about the details or the decorations or anything. At the end of the day, all that matters is that I'm married to the woman I fell in love with. I'm ready whenever you are. Just say when and I'll make it happen."

"You really mean that?" He took her hands in his.

"Every word. We'll get married whenever you wish. Anything you wish, you'll have it. Whether it be extravagant or simple, it makes no difference to me. As long as you're happy with it." She smiled.

"This summer then. When the weather is warmer, we can have an outside wedding. Nothing big, just a small ceremony."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'm glad you agree." He smirked.

"Well, who am I to argue with my pregnant future wife?" She giggled.

"Exactly." They had a plan for their wedding. Maybe it would actually happen this time. He wanted nothing more than to marry his beautiful Belle. He would make sure their wedding day would be perfect for the both of them.

"Now, what do we say you head home for lunch? I'm curious to see how your chili came out."

"What about your paperwork?"

"It can wait."

 

The chili came out pretty good. Gold didn't mind it at all. Lacey should make it again. After they finished lunch, Gold stuck around for a bit to spend time with Lacey. He helped her clean up and start on dinner.

"Robert?"

"Yes?"

"That room upstairs at the end of the hall. the locked one?"

"Yes? What about it?"

"What's in there?"

"Nothing. Just an extra bedroom. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's Lady. Every morning, I find her lying in front of it. I even sometimes hear her whining, as if she really wants to go in there." Gold never noticed. He didn't pay all that much attention to the Crocker Spaniel. She was a gift for Lacey's birthday and was very well behaved. He didn't like the idea of Lacey being in the house by herself while she was pregnant. He adopted Lady as a companion for her and she loved the little dog.

"That's peculiar. I don't go in that room and you don't have a key, so I don't know what she could possibly want in there. How long as she been doing that?"

"The last few months. I didn't think much of it before, but now it's starting to worry me. She seems really upset nowadays. Maybe we should open that room and see what she wants in there." Gold shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Where is she now?"

"Probably by the door again."

"Let's go see." As they made their way up the stairs, they saw the Spaniel laying down in front of the door with her nose poking at the threshold. Gold could see that the dog seemed sad. What was so special about that door all of a sudden? Taking out his keys, he went to unlock the door. Lady bound up excitedly. Unlocking the door, Lady ran inside as soon as she had an opening. The room was empty save for a twin size bed and a small bookshelf. Nothing else was interesting about the room. Lacey saw Lady start to sniff around the room.

"What is she doing?"

"It seems that she's looking for something." Lady sniffed all along the floor and ended up under the bed. After a few seconds, she backed out from under the bed, pulling something along with her.

"What do you have there, Lady?" Lady pulled out a blanket from under the bed, but it wasn't just any regular blanket. Gold's eyes widened as he saw it. It was that blanket. Rose's blanket. Gold bent down and took the blanket from the dog. "That's a beautiful blanket. Where did it come from?"

"I made this." Lacey's eyes widened.

"You made this?"

"Yes. What is it doing here? I thought..." He paused. What did it mean? How was Rose's blanket there, but she wasn't? How did it get there?

"Robert?"

"I-I'm sorry, dear. I just...didn't expect to see this here. I thought it was long gone."

"Was it for someone special?" He nodded.

"It was. A little girl very dear to my heart. I made it for her first birthday. It was her first present. She used to carry it around with her all the time. She couldn't go to sleep without it and always took good care of it. She was the sweetest child with the most caring heart. She never let anything or anyone ruin her joyful demeanor. She had a big heart with no room for hatred. She believed even the worst of people were worth a chance at redemption." Lacey rubbed Gold's arm.

"She sounds very special. Who was she?" Gold gave a sad smile.

"Someone long gone."

"I...I'm so sorry to hear that. I wish I knew her. She sounds like a wonderful child. How old was she?"

"Only five." Lacey's heart jumped in her chest. Only five years old when she...

"What happened to her?" Gold wished he knew. He had no idea where she was, who she was with, if she was safe? So much uncertainty surrounded the missing child. When the curse was broken, he planned to find both her and Baelfire. His children will be with him again soon, but not soon enough.

"That's a story for another time, my dear. For now, I'll put this someplace safe." Lacey wanted to press more about the little girl, but she could see that he was quite upset over her loss. It could wait.

 

Neal picked Rose up from school as he always did. She went on and on about her day and what they did in class. She told him all the new things she learned and shared a few interesting facts that even Neal didn't know. She also showed him a picture she made in class. After reading a book about a boy and his favorite quilted blanket, they had to draw design for a blanket of their own. Rose's picture was a pink blanket with three big red roses with a gold vine around the stems.

"That's pretty cool, Rose. What made you think of that?"

"I don't know. It just came to me. If I had a special blanket, I would want it to look just like that." The blanket felt somewhat familiar to Rose. Had she seen that blanket before? Maybe it was something from her memories. She would ask Rose and Lily about it later.


	10. Chapter 10

Not much happened over the past months, except for Neal asking Tamara to marry him. The idea did not sit well with Rose and would rather that not happen. Rose's inner self assure her that it was supposed to happen and she shouldn't worry about it. She didn't say anything else other than the wedding won't happen. That put Rose at ease a bit, but she still didn't like it.

Rose's school got out early because one of the kids pulled the fire alarm. Nothing happened, but they sent everyone home anyway. Unfortunately for Rose, Neal couldn't pick her up at the time, so he asked Tamara to bring her home and stay with her until he got back. The car ride to the apartment was uncomfortable to say the least. In Tamara's mind, Rose actually liked her. It was hard to pretend so.

"So, how was your day? You know, before the false alarm." Rose gritted her teeth and smiled.

"It was good. We learned how to the twelve times tables. The teachers said we could probably get to thirteen tomorrow."

"Wow. That's great. Most kids don't get that far until at least first grade."

"Yep." Rose nodded and looked out the window, trying to avoid any further conversation. Before Tamara could ask another question, her cell phone started ringing. Rose let out a quiet sigh of relief. Tamara turned on her blue tooth.

"Hello?...Oh, hey Neal...Yeah, I just picked her up...Oh, really?...Alright...No problem. There's actually somewhere I need to be in a while...Will do...Okay. See you later." She hung up. "That was Neal. He said he finished up early and he's home."

"Okay." On the inside, Rose was cheering she didn't have to spend any more time with Tamara than she had to. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, they finally pulled up in front of the apartment. Rose immediately jumped out of the car. "Okay. Thanks for the ride! Bye!"

She shut the door and ran into the building. She used her key to unlock the gate and went upstairs, not realizing she didn't close it all the way. After walking up a number of stairs, she finally made it to their floor and room. Unlocking the door, she walked in announcing her presence.

"Neal! I'm home!" There was no response. After locking the door behind her, she looked around. She didn't see him. "Neal?"

Still nothing. He said he was home. Where was he? Rose then noticed the window was open. Not thinking much of it, she over and closed it so the heat wouldn't get out. Maybe he had to run out to get something. He usually forgot things every now and again. Putting her bag down, she went over to the refrigerator and took out a container of cut up strawberries. Since she didn't have any homework, or at least the teachers didn't get the chance to hand out any, she hopped on Neal's bed and turned on the television. She wondered what was on that time of day.

After not seeing anything new, she settled for a rerun of My Little Pony. Rose then thought about Neal. Wouldn't he say something before Tamara dropped her off? She grabbed the phone from the dresser and dialed Neal's cell phone number. It rang and rang and rang until it went to voice mail. It wasn't like Neal not to answer his phone. She was starting to get worried. Where was he? What was he doing? Why didn't he answer his phone? The situation was familiar. Too familiar. That feeling of uncertainty. That feeling that something happened to someone she loved. That feeling that they might not come back. That dreaded feeling of be left alone. She's felt all of these before.

Rose was unaware of the glowing of her locket or the shaking of the objects around her. She was too worried. Too upset. Too...lost. She didn't want to think about what would happen if Neal never came back. She couldn't bare to go through that again. Wait...again? When did it happen the first time?

"Where's Papa?" That voice. It was her own. Papa...her papa. "What if Papa never comes back?" 

That's right. Back in her first life. Her papa, something happened to him. "I just want Papa back."

But...it wasn't just her papa. It was her mama too. "Mama!" "No! I don't wanna go without you!"

"You have to, sweetheart. I promise it won't be forever, but you need to go now!" She remembered it all. She was separated from both of her parents back then. She was left in the care of others. They took care of her. But, if Neal didn't come back, who would take care of her then? Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice outside of the door. Not being able to make it out, she assumed it was Neal. A wave a relief came over her as she got up and ran to the door. Getting closer, she heard another voice she didn't recognize. There were voices of a man and woman. Neither of which she knew. She then heard the lock jiggle. They were trying to get in.

Panic washed over her once again. What should she do? No had ever tried to break in before. Her first thought was to get out through the fire escape. Before she could get to the window, she heard the click of the door. It was too late. She did the next best thing and locked herself in the bathroom. She sat in the bathtub behind the shower curtain and did her best to stay quiet. She then heard the voice inside the apartment. They were too muffled to make out, but she could tell there was a least three of them.

Her heart jumped when she heard the doorknob jiggle. She begged that they wouldn't come in. After a couple more jiggles, it stopped. Whoever tried to open the door must have given up and walked away. What did they want? Who were they? What were they looking for? She didn't care if they found it or not. She just wanted them gone. She really wished Neal was with her. He would know what to do. Her locket once again began to emit a low glow that went unnoticed. There was suddenly yelling between a man and woman. Objects around the bathroom slightly shook and threatened to come alive at any moment. She couldn't make out a lot of it, but she did hear one thing accompanied by a loud crash.

"We had a deal! A deal! No one! No one breaks deals with me!" There was another loud crash with a familiar voice.

"Hey!" It was Neal. "Leave her alone."


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey! Leave her alone." She was relieved that Neal was finally back. He was okay. This put her at ease a bit, but she was still afraid to come out of the bathroom. She was going to wait until it was completely safe. She still didn't know who those people were or what they wanted. And the man mentioned something about a deal. He made a deal with the woman, but what was it? And why did she feel it was significant and familiar? She knew someone who liked to make deals, didn't she? She tried to think while there was more talking outside with the occasional shout.

"Get out of my apartment!" That was Neal. More talking.

"No, no, no. Stop it! You're lying. How do you two know each other?!" The other man. There was an additional voice that was close by. She could hear him call for his mom. He must have been a kid. He sounded older than Rose. Her thoughts were interrupted by Neal yelling.

"How old are you, kid?!"

"Eleven! Now, why is everyone yelling?" There was silence for a while, then more muffled talking. Why was it important that the boy was eleven? Does Neal know those people? Were they bad people? She hoped not. She wished there was something she could do. She didn't have the magic like the other Rose did. She may have had her locket, but Rose said that her powers don't work since there is almost no magic in their current world. She couldn't do anything to help protect Neal or get rid of whoever was out there. Rose could now only hear Neal and the man talking. Was it safe yet? Where did the other two go?

"Where is she?! What did you do to her?!"

"I don't know what you mean! The apartment was empty when we arrived!" They were talking about her. Neal must have seen her backpack and the strawberries she left on the bed. It must have been safe to come out if he was looking for her. She climbed out of the bathtub and went to the door. Unlocking it, she ran to Neal, not acknowledging the other man.

"Neal!" He knelt down and hugged her, burying her face in his neck.

"Thank God you're safe. Are you hurt?" She brought her face out of his neck and looked at him.

"No. I hid in the bathroom when I heard the door. I called you! You didn't answer your phone!"

"Sorry, kid. I was...kinda busy." She heard the man behind her speak.

"Rose? Is that you?" She turned around and looked up at the man. It was him. It was her Papa. The same man she saw in her dreams and memories. He didn't have his odd and rough green skin, curly hair and big reptilian eyes that Rose remembered. He had the smooth pale skin, straight hair and brown eyes that Lily remembered. He even had the black cane with the gold handle. The man let out a shaky breath. As he reached for her, Neal picked her up.

"You stay away from her. And how do you know her?"

"Because...she's my daughter. And your sister." Neal let out a scoff.

"You expect me to believe that you had another kid in the 300 years I was gone."

"It's not like that at all. I found her when she was but a babe. She was abandoned by her mother and I couldn't leave her there. She would have died." Is that what happened to her? Most of her memories were still missing. She could only remember bits and pieces of what happened in both the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke. Rose and Lily both mentioned having bad memories about their birth mother, but no memories ever came back to her about them.

"Then how did she end up here by herself with no memory whatsoever?"

"I have no idea. After the curse, I couldn't find her anywhere in Storybrooke. I didn't know what happened to her. I've been worried about her. Worried about the both of you. I never would have thought that you two would end up together this way. I'm glad that you two were finally able to meet." Neal was having a hard time believing it. This was the same man that let him fall through a portal to another world just to keep his power. How is it that the same man could have took in an abandoned baby?

"I don't believe you. And I don't want you anywhere near her, whether you know her or not." Rose felt like she should defend her papa, but something was holding her back and it wasn't just Neal. She didn't really know much about her papa, not that she remembered. She had many, many good memories with him, yet he was still a stranger to him. And how was Neal his son? Neal said that his father was a bad man. Which was the truth? Her memories or Neal's? She was confused and felt it was best to listen to Neal for the time being. Neal has been with her the past year and he is what she knew.

Just then, a woman with blonde hair came in through the window. Neal didn't seem worried about her presence, so Rose assumed that he knew her as well. She also seemed familiar, yet not as much. Rose might have known her, but she wasn't sure. The woman looked to her. "Who's this?"

"Long story. How is he?" He? He who? It must have been that kid she heard earlier.

"He wants to meet you." Neal put Rose down and knelt down to her.

"Hey, why don't you go in the other room and watch TV." Rose was so confused about everything.

"Neal, what's going on?" Neal let out a soft sigh.

"It's nothing, kid. Don't worry about it. Just...go in the room, please." She once again looked to her "Papa" and the blonde woman, then back to Neal.

"Okay, but I still wanna know after this." Neal chuckled.

"Don't worry. I know you won't let me not tell you." He ruffled her hair before standing up. She fixed her hair, grumbling under her breath about her hair. She got on the bed and turned the TV back on. She kept it high enough for Neal to think she was distracted, but low enough for her to listen to them. "You weren't going to tell me about him."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yeah, well, he's my kid, too, so you don't get to make that decision by yourself anymore." His kid? Neal has a son? Does that mean I have a brother?, Rose thought. Or nephew if her papa is Neal's too? That in itself was confusing.

"Great. Go talk to him, then. But… Don't break his heart."

"Trust me – I'm not going do to him what he did to me."

"Or what you did to me." What he did to her? What did Neal do? More questions to ask later.

"Okay. I get it. We're all messed up. What do you say we try to avoid that with him? Alright?"

"Alright. And - Keep him away from her. I don't want him anywhere near her."

"Who is she?"

"I'll tell you later." Then Neal left out through the window. Meeting his son. It was pretty cool that Neal had a son. He's eleven, but she can still play with him, right? He isn't that much older than her. But what about those other people. That woman and her "Papa". How did they find Neal? Where did they come from? Did this mean she could finally go home? Would Neal even let her? He doesn't like his papa and doesn't want him near her. The woman came over and sat next to her.

"Hey. What's your name?" Rose looked up at the woman closely. She seemed oddly familiar. Had she met her before? Maybe she was someone from Lily's memories.

"Rose."

"Well, Rose, my name is Emma." That name rang a bell, but she still couldn't place who she was. She still smiled.

"Hi, Ms. Emma."

"Just Emma is fine."

"Okay. How do you know Neal? He never told me about you." Emma sighed.

"I doubt he would. Anyway, what about you? Are you Neal's kid?" She wasn't sure what she should tell her. Usually when people ask if she's Neal's daughter, she skips the long story and says yes. This seemed like a slightly different situation. She personally knew Neal and even had a son with him. They didn't really seem all that happy to see each other. Would she be upset if Rose just said yes?

"Not really, no. Neal found me. Or I found him? I don't really remember what happened. I don't remember anything before meeting Neal, not even my real name. I just chose 'Rose' because I heard it in a dream once. Neal's been taking care of me ever since. He's been like a big brother to me. Well, I guess he kinda is my big brother now." She looked up at her papa. "There's still a lot I don't remember, but...I kinda remember you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Some memories about you have been coming back to me, but...I still don't really know you. I don't know if Neal will let me know you." The man took a step towards her, but Emma stopped him.

"Hey. Neal said stay away from her. I recommend you do."

"I've been separated from my children for far too long, Ms. Swan. I suggest you let me be with my daughter."

"Yeah, well I don't think Neal is too keen on you being near her. If I were you, I'd do as he says." Before he could retort, Neal emerged from the window with a boy behind him. Seeing the boy brought some sense of happiness, yet she couldn't place who he was. She had definitely seen him before. Maybe he was an old friend of hers. When the boy saw her, his eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"Lily?!" She tilted her head in confusion as the boy ran over to her. "You've been here the whole time? How did you get here? Why did you leave Storybrooke?"

"Lily?" He knew her by her curse name. Her other self. He must have been someone in Lily's memories.

"Or Rose. I thought Regina did something to you." Who was Regina? She didn't know that name. Not that she remembered, anyway. The other man's brow furrowed.

"Henry...How do you know her?" The boy, Henry, turned to him.

"Because she was in Storybrooke. She was there since the curse and was my friend for years. No one remembered her after she disappeared except for me. Everyone thought she was imaginary, but I knew she was real. After she let Belle out of the hospital, she went missing." Something clicked in Rose's brain.

"Henry...Henry. Henry! You're Henry! We're friends, right?"

"Yeah. Best friends! I was scared something bad happened to you."

"No. I just been here...somehow. I don't know how I got here, but what's been going on with you?" Neal interjected.

"Hey, why don't we continue this on a walk? Henry wants to see the city." Rose jumped up.

"Oh! Can we go to that pizza place around the corner? I think Henry would like that!" Neal looked to Henry.

"What do you say, kid? Up for some pizza?"

"Yeah."

"Yay! Let's go!" Rose jumped onto Neal's back to his surprise.

"Hey! What did I tell you about jumping on my back?"

"To warn you first?" Neal shook his head playfully.

"Close enough. Alright, let's head out." Neal turned to Emma and the man. "You two can stay or come along. Your choice."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed for the door. Rose looked back at the two. She gave them an inviting smile. With both of them giving a small smile at the adorable child, they followed.


	12. Chapter 12

Neal took Henry and Rose, who finally got off of Neal's back, around the town until they reached the pizza place. Emma and the man stayed behind. Every now and again, Rose would look back to make sure they were still there and didn't get separated. She's gotten separated from Neal a few times since she's been in New York. It can be scary, especially if you're as small as her. She still wondered about the man that was supposed to be her father. Was she supposed to acknowledge him as her father or just another stranger? What was she supposed to call him? She couldn't remember what his name was.

"Hey, Earth to Rose."

"Huh?" She looked up at Neal, who was apparently talking to her.

"Museum? Sounds like fun?" She immediately lit up.

"Yeah! That'll be fun!" He turned to Henry. "I been there before, so I can show you where all the fun stuff is!"

"Cool, but I left my camera back at the apartment."

"We can go back and get it, can't we, Neal?" Neal shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Good to keep memories, right?" After they got their pizza, they went back outside where Emma and the man were waiting. They seemed to be talking about something, but stopped after they saw the group. "What are we talking about?"

"Emma, Neal and Rose wanted to show me the museum. Do you think we can go back to the apartment and get my camera?"

"Yeah, well, I… Kids like culture, right? Rose can't be the only one."

"Sure. Yeah, that's fine. You like the New York pizza?"

"Yeah. It's delicious, cheesy, and doesn't lie." That was kinda mean, Rose thought. Did Emma lie to Henry about something? No one likes to be lied to, but maybe she had a good reason to. Rose didn't have any context to the situation, so she couldn't try to reason out either side of it. She decided to let it go. As they continued walking, Henry started talking to the other man. Neal still wouldn't let Rose near him and she didn't understand why. She wanted to get to know him too if he was supposed to be her papa.

"So, you want to explain her, Neal?" Emma was clearly talking about Rose, who once again found her way to Neal back once she finished her pizza.

"Not much to tell. She somehow found her way to my front door and I've been taking care of her ever since."

"And how does Gold know her?" Gold? That must have been the man's name. Mr. Gold. At least she finally had something to call him, if Neal ever let her talk to him, that is.

"That's a story we'd both like to know, huh?" They turned their attention to Henry and Mr. Gold ahead of them. "He's a good kid."

"Yeah." Rose could sense there was some tension between them. They were having some trouble being around each other again. Rose felt there was something bad that happened between them. What that was, she'll probably never know.

"Hey, I'm trying my best here."

"I know. We all are. It's just, we're going to have to go back. To our home." Home? But they just got there. They couldn't go home yet. She still had so many questions that haven't been answered.

"I'm just getting to know him."

"Then maybe… Maybe you should come with us."

"To Storybrooke?"

"I've seen your apartment. You don't got a lot going on here besides Rose and she goes where you go."

"Looks can be deceiving. Listen… There's something I've been meaning to tell you. It's complicated." Rose knew she shouldn't listen to grown ups' conversations, but she was literally on Neal's back. She couldn't help but hear. She knew he was going to tell her about Tamara. That woman was always her least favorite topic of discussion. Not only that, that wasn't a conversation she wanted to be around to hear.

"Hey, Henry! You wanna go on the subway? It's really fun!" Henry looked back with a smile.

"Cool. Can we Neal?" It took Neal a moment before he answered.

"Yeah. Sure, of course. Let's go get that camera."

 

They made it back to the apartment, where Rose jumped down from Neal's back again. Rose challenged Henry to a race up to the apartment. He accepted and they started running before Neal could object. Rose was in the lead and almost to the top when she suddenly stopped as images flashed before her eyes. It was back downstairs with Emma and Mr. Gold. Suddenly, a man in black with a hook barged in the front door. He pushed Emma against the wall and then stabbed Mr. Gold in the chest with his hook. The man said something to Mr. Gold, but she couldn't make out what it was. That's was the end of it. What was that? Did she have a vision like the ones that Rose told her about? Was something bad going to happen to Mr. Gold? Her papa? She couldn't be sure, yet she didn't want to take the chance of him getting hurt. Henry ran up behind her and saw that she stopped.

"Hey. Rose? What's wrong?"

"I...I'm not sure. I gotta see something." She ran back down the stairs, where Neal was still ascending.

"Hey, kid! Where you going?!" She ran past him without answering his question. As she neared the last flight of stairs, she heard the front door of the building slam open. It was happening. She rushed down the last flight just in time to see the hooked man pushed Emma into the wall. He then turned to Mr. Gold.

"NO!" Without thinking, Rose ran through the gate and into the man's stomach. The man was pushed back and fell to the ground, his hook scratching Rose's arm. Rose hissed in pain at the wound. The man looked enraged.

"Why you bloody little..." Before he could finish, Emma, who had gotten back up by this point, hit the man in the head with a nearby fire extinguisher. The man was knocked unconscious. Gold caught Rose as she fell. He looked at the large gash down her arm. That hook was meant for him. Rose saved him, but gratitude was the farthest thing from his mind. His daughter was hurt because of him. He should have been the one to be pierced with the cold steel of the hook, not her. Neal and Henry ran down the stairs at the sound of the commotion.

"What's going on down here?" Gold didn't register his son's question, but Emma did.

"One of your dad's enemies found him." Neal looked down at the unconscious man, instantly recognizing him.

"Hook." Neal then saw Gold holding Rose. He knelt down next to them. "What happened?"

"She...Rose...why would you do such a thing?"

"I...I didn't...want you...to get hurt. I saw that...he..." She gripped her arm and hissed in pain, trying to hold back her tears. It hurt so much, almost burning. The gash was bleeding out badly. Neal picked her up while covering what he could of her wound.

"It's okay, kid. You're gonna be fine. We gotta get her upstairs."


	13. Chapter 13

Rose was carried back to the apartment by Neal and laid on the couch. Neal then ran to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Gold sat with Rose and tried to comfort her. It broke his heart to see her in such pain and agony. She shouldn't have done what she did. She had no reason to. She should've let the captain stab him like he intended. Looking at her wound, he noticed that it wasn't a deep cut, but it was bound to leave a scar. Emma came back into the apartment just as Neal emerged from the bathroom with the kit.

"Found a storage room and locked our stab-happy pirate in there. He shouldn't be causing anyone else any problems. And get this—he had a map on him. It looks like he sailed his ship here." Neal was puzzled.

"How'd he get a pirate ship into New York?"

"It's cloaked. Don't worry. He's not gonna hurt any of us." Henry was worried.

"What about Rose? Is she going to be okay?"

"Don't worry, kid. She'll be fine." Emma checked for phone just to find out that the battery was dead. She gave the phone to Henry.

"Hey, kid. The battery's dead. Go in the other room and see if you can find a charger, okay?"

"Okay." Gold then noticed the gash started to turn a yellowish-greenish color.

"No. No, no, no!" Neal looked to Gold.

"What? What happened?!" Everyone looks at the wound. Emma scrunches up her face in disgust and confusion.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's poison. It's one of Hook's own making. There's no antidote in this world. It's... it's not from this world. She won't last much longer here." Neal refused to take that for an answer.

"Hey! There's got to be a way to save her!"

"There is, but...not here. We have to go back to Storybrooke, but there won't be enough time to make the antidote before the poison reaches her heart. The only thing that can save her in time is her own magic. It's the only way to cure her before the poison kills her." Neal's eyes widened in surprise.

"Magic? She has magic?"

"Unfortunately yes, but that is a story for another time. We have to get her to Storybrooke."

"I'll get us a car."

"No. We need something faster. The captain's ship." Emma raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"The Jolly Roger instead of a car?"

"It's the fastest vessel in all the realms."

"Well, that's great, but who's gonna captain it since the only guy qualified wants you dead?"

"I can do it." Emma and Gold look to Neal in disbelief.

"Bae?"

"Yeah. I can do it."

"You know how to sail a pirate ship?"

"Yeah. I do."

 

Meanwhile in Storybrooke, the race was on to find The Dark One's Dagger. Mary Margaret and David, also known as Snow White and Charming, were trying to find the dagger before Regina and her mother, Cora did. While they searched, Gold gave Victor, a.k.a Quasimodo, the task of keeping an eye on Belle while she was in the hospital. She had lost her memory after accidentally crossing the town line. Hook tried to kill Gold, but Belle heard the click of the gun before it went off. She pushed Gold out of the way. Neither of them were harmed, but she crossed the line without protection. She didn't remember anything.

With Gold planning to leave, he couldn't leave her unprotected with Regina and Cora running free in Storybrooke. He needed someone he trusted to stay with Belle. With the curse being broken, Quasi had his memories back and remembered everything. He remembered his time in the Dark Castle with Belle and Rose. When Gold approached him with the task, he was more than willing to accept it. He owed Gold and Belle a lot since they took him in and treated him like family.

Belle may not have remembered Quasi, but she enjoyed his company. He was interesting to talk to and made her feel at ease. She still had many questions about who she was, where she was, and everything that happened. Quasi answered as best he could, but even he didn't know everything. When questioned about Gold and they baby she was having with him, he answered what he knew of the man both from Storybrooke and from the Enchanted Forest.

"So, am I married to him?"

"Well, I don't think you two ever did get married. You have been planning it for the longest time. Considering the certain circumstances, it makes since that you two never got the chance to. And Rose was so excited about it." Belle lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

"Rose? Who is that?" Quasi nearly forgotten that she didn't remember the child. He, on the other hand, could never forget her.

"Rose was...is your daughter."

"I had another baby?" He chuckled.

"Not exactly, no. You and Mr. Gold adopted her. Well, he adopted her before you came along, but she always thought of you as her mother. And you love her as if she is your own." Belle tried to recall the girl, but couldn't.

"Tell me about her. What's she like?" Quasi smiled.

"She's a wonderful little girl. She sweet, kind, smart, the perfect child. Even when things were bad, she always found the light side of it. I actually owe a lot to her. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to travel the world like I've always wanted. I would still be stuck in a place where I wasn't accepted. She was actually my very first friend. She showed me things that I didn't know were possible. I may have only known her for a few months before I left, but those were the best months of my life." Belle smiled fondly.

"She sounds wonderful. I wish I could remember her. Where is she now?" Quasi's smile fell.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her in town at all. I just hope she's okay. I would hate if something happened to her, but I like to think that she's somewhere safe. Who knows? Maybe Mr. Gold will find her when he finds his son. It's possible, right?" Belle took his hand in hers.

"Anything can be possible if you believe so. I'm sure she safe with someone who will take care of her." Quasi squeezed her hand.

"I hope so."

 

Back in New York, Neal was on the phone trying to get them a ride to Hook's ship. Gold held Rose close to him. She had long passed out from the pain. Henry suddenly came back from charging the phone.

"Emma, you need to see this."

"What is it, kid?"

"It's a text from David and Mary Margaret. You need to read it – now." Emma took the phone and read the text.

"Bad news, Gold."

"Worse than my daughter dying from incurable poison?"

"You tell me. That dagger, the source of all your power that you hid in Storybrooke..."

"Get to the point, Ms. Swan."

"Cora's after it. The only way to stop her is if Mary-Margaret and David find it first." Gold scoffed.

"Let her search for it. She can tear Storybrooke apart piece by piece and she'll never find it."

"You can't seriously be willing to risk this. Not with your son coming back with you to Storybrooke and your daughter's life depending on you getting back."

"Ms. Swan, I've had that dagger in my possession for centuries and no one has ever found it while I've been the Dark One. Cora will not be the first."

"Yeah, well, here's the thing. Rose, your daughter, is dying. If she finds that dagger and controls you, you won't be able to help her. And right now, we're your best hope. Time's come for you to start trusting someone. And, if I were you, I'd start with family."

"I'm well aware what is at stake if she finds it, but she won't. The dagger is hidden in a place that only one person can access it, and that person is not me." Emma's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"That is my business. All you need to know is that the dagger is not in Storybrooke."

"How is that even possible?" Henry thought about it, then it clicked.

"Because Rose isn't in Storybrooke." Emma and Gold looked to the young boy.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

"Rose has the dagger, doesn't she?" Gold narrowed his eyes.

"And how would you know that?"

"Her locket. It has a carving of the dagger on it. I've seen it. The dagger is in her locket." Gold took a closer look at Rose's locket and, indeed, saw that there was a carving of his dagger on the back. When did that get there? Did it happen when she left?

"So there is. And I can't remove it from the locket. As long as she's possessed the locket, she has been the only one that can remove it or open it. Even I don't have the power to anymore. She doesn't even know she has it or that it exists. That has kept her and the dagger safe." Neal finally got off of the phone.

"I got us a car. It'll be here in a few." Neal knelt down to check on Rose. "How much time does she have?"

"Not long, but when we make it to Storybrooke, the poison will slow. Her magic should revive itself and fight against it to keep her alive for until we can cast a counter-spell."

"I thought you said her magic could save her!"

"It can, but not on its own. She needs to control it to cast the spell. She can't do that in her current state. We have to use the source of her magic to cast the spell. You will have to do it, Ms. Swan." She raised an eyebrow.

"I have to do it?"

"Yes. You have magic."

"Yeah and I barely know how to use it. Why can't you do it?"

"Because I can't. Her magic is different from mine. It won't react well to my dark magic, but it will to your light magic. I'll walk you through what you have to do. You will be able to do this." Emma was very unsure of herself. She barely knew how to use whatever magic she had. She then looked down at the tiny girl in Gold's arms. She was her only chance. She may not have known the child well, but that didn't mean she should let her die. She had to at least try, right?

"Okay. I'll do it." Neal's phone rang. He checked it.

"Good, because our ride is here."


	14. Chapter 14

Aboard the Jolly Roger, Neal was up on deck showing Henry how to steer the ship. Below deck, Rumple held his unconscious daughter close to him. She was still breathing and still alive, but Gold was worried for how much longer. She was so young and so small. It wouldn't be much longer until the poison reached her heart and took her life. He hoped they would reach Storybrooke before then. He couldn't imagine the pain she was possibly feeling.

 

Inside Rose's mind, Lily and the other Rose were with Rose. Rose used what magic she could to help numb the pain. She wished she could heal her of the poison, but she didn't she have enough magic to. Lily, not having any magic, did her best to make her comfortable. Rose shook her head in disbelief. She still couldn't believe what Rose did. That hook was meant for Papa, not her. While she's happy Papa wasn't hurt, Rose could possibly die. Rose didn't know what was going to happen since she changed the future so drastically.

"Rose? Rose?!" Rose snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Lily's voice.

"Huh?"

"Is she going to be okay?" Their surroundings started to fall away and fade. "Are we going to be okay?"

"I..." She didn't know how to answer that. She couldn't see anything. No visions were coming to her. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she didn't want Lily to worry. "Yeah. We'll be okay. Emma's gonna help us. She will. She has to."

"I hope so. I'm scared." 

"Me too, but it's gonna be okay. I promise." Just then, a bubble lowered between them.

"Hey. She's remembering something." Rose tilted her head in confusion.

"What is she remembering at a time like this?" The bubble was fuzzy for a few seconds before it cleared up. Rose was sitting at the kitchen table in the house in Storybrooke.

"Hey. It's one of my memories." Rose, or rather Lily, was eating her breakfast while Gold was washing up the dishes by the sink.

"Do you have everything for school, Flower?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Backpack?" She leaned down and picked up her Dora the Explorer backpack.

"Yep."

"Crayons?"

"Uh-huh."

"Pencils?"

"Yes."

"Paper? Notebook? Coloring book?"

"Got it!" She picked up her plate and brought it over to the sink. Gold took the plate from her and looked her over.

"Where are your shoes?" She looked down and saw she was only wearing her pink socks.

"Oh! I left them upstairs! I'll be right back!"

"Careful, Flower. Don't run on those stairs." Not hearing him, she raced up the stairs to her room. Quickly searching around, she found her shoes under her bed. Grabbing them, she ran back down the stairs. There were three stairs left before she slipped and fell down. She hit her knee on the second before before falling on the floor on her face. Picking herself up, her vision became blurry as her eyes filled with tears. Gold must have heard her fall because he rushed over to her side. "Lily! What happened?"

"It...hurts...Daddy." Her vision was blocked by her hands covering her eyes. Gold pulled her hands away from her face and wiped her tears. He looked over her face, then down at her knee. It was slightly bleeding, but nothing too serious. 

"It's okay, Flower. You're okay. It's just a small cut." He took her hand and helped her stand. He then led her over to the living room and sat her on the sofa. He then left her, probably to get the first aid kit. Lily looked down at her knee. The cut wasn't big, but it stung really bad. Gold then came back with the first aid kit and a damp towel. He sat next to her and opened the kit. "Now, Lily. I told you not to run on the stairs. You could've hurt yourself even worse."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." He wiped the cut with the towel. He then dabbed a cotton swab in some peroxide. He gently applied to her knee. She pulled away and hissed in pain.

"That hurt!"

"I know, sweetheart, but this will help it heal." He dabbed a little bit more before he stopped. He then took out a band-aid and put it over the cut. "There we go. All done."

"I'm sorry I ran on the stairs, Daddy." He gave her a smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright, Flower. I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself too bad, but you need to be careful. I tell you these things so you can stay safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy." She clung to him for a while. She loved his warmth, his smell, his patience with her. She loved him. He was her daddy and he did everything for her. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, my darling Flower." The memory ended and floated away. Rose and Lily were confused by it. Why did she remember that at a time like this? She was dying and she remembered falling down the stairs. Lily looked to Rose.

"What do you think that means?" Rose was just as lost as her counterpart. She then thought about something.

"Maybe it's...because Papa is keeping us safe. He's holding us and not letting us go. It's just like back then. He's doing what he can to help us. Maybe this triggered that memory. Why that one, I don't know, but at least she remembered something else about Papa." Lily didn't know what to think of it, but it made more sense than anything else. The space around them continued to fade. She hoped they would get to Storybrooke soon.

 

They finally made it to Storybrooke. David, Mary Margaret, and Ruby were all waiting at the docks for them. Neal carried the still unconscious Rose off of the ship. Mary Margaret gasped at the sight of the small child that she had grown to know and love in the Enchanted Forest.

"Is she?" Emma saw the worry in her mother's eyes.

"She's alive, but barely."

"Well, are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're alright." Henry approached them.

"I drove a ship." David raised an eyebrow.

"Did you, now?"

"Yeah. My dad showed me." Neal raised his hand.

"That's me." As he went to put Rose in David's truck, he noticed her locket glowing. Before he could say anything about it, it released a bright light. Pink and gold swirls surrounded her. Gold saw this and sighed in relief.

"Good. Her magic is active. She just bought us a little more time, but not much. We must get to my shop. There's magic there that can keep us safe. Quickly." Henry looked up at Emma.

"Let me guess; I get to go with Ruby?"

"You got it, kid." Ruby put an arm around the young boy.

"I'll be sure to keep him out of the crossfire." Mary Margaret let out a shaky breath.

"Thank you." Noticing his grandmother's nervousness, he took hold of her hand and gave it a slight squeeze.

"Don't worry. You'll stop Cora. You won't let her get to Rose. She won't get away."


	15. Chapter 15

Back in Gold's shop, everyone was preparing to defend Rose and the dagger. Emma was working on putting invisible chalk in front of the shop's door for a protection spell while Mary Margaret was still in the back with Gold and Rose. She still had yet to wake up, which worried Gold.

"I thought you said only she could open her locket. She can't if she's still unconscious."

"I'm very well aware of that. She's still too weak." He thought for a moment. "Could you get her a warmer blanket? In the cabinet."

"Yeah." Opening the cabinet, she stopped. Gold knew she found it. She pulled out a two-sided candle that was white on end and black on the other.

"Why do you have this?"

"For a rainy day."

"We can't save her, can we? Her magic wouldn't have worked?"

"Oh no. It would've worked, but we can't get to it if she's not awake. Without her to open the locket, it'll only delay her death and I don't want her to suffer anymore."

"I wouldn't use this candle to save my own mother on her deathbed. What makes you think I would use it for her?"

"Because you're all grown up now. You wouldn't let a child die, would you? And, for once, our interests are aligned." She knew exactly what he meant.

"Cora dies instead of Rose."

"We both know it's what you want. You hate Cora and you love Rose. Would you not do anything to help her?"

"There's no coming back from murder."

"There's no coming back from death either. Even her magic can't cheat it without paying a price." Mary Margaret was conflicted. She didn't want Rose to die, but she didn't want to kill Cora either. Was it really the only option?

"Even if I were to do this…The candle only works if you whisper the victim's name over them."

"The heart will do."

"Cora's heart...It's not in her body."

"You use the candle, curse the heart, and then comes the tricky part." She scoffed.

"That's not the tricky part?"

"You have to put the heart back inside of Cora. She will die, and Rose will live."

"And how do you think she'll feel when she finds out that someone else's life was traded for hers? The guilt that I would feel for killing someone would be nothing compared what she'll feel when she knows that someone had to die for her to live. I may not have known her for as long as you, but I know her well enough to know she wouldn't want that."

"And who says she has to know? When she wakes up, she won't know about any of this. Not the dagger, not Cora, none of it. She won't have to be burdened with any of it. She's been through enough and I'd rather her not have to go through much more."

Inside Rose's mind, her other selves were aware of what was happening. They couldn't believe what their papa was suggesting. Killing someone so they could live? They couldn't let that happen.

"Rose, we can't let them do that! We have to do something!"

"I know, but what? Rose has to wake up for us to be able to do anything."

"Can't we wake her up?" Rose thought. How would they even do that? The magic took over trying to help buy time, but Rose was still helping to buy even more time.

"We'll have to use magic. Both of us." Lily's eyes widened in worry.

"But I don't have magic! You do!"

"We're the same person! You may not know how to use it, but you have magic! It'll take a while, but we have to try! If she wakes up and sees that we're in danger, the magic will get stronger and protect us! It may even stop the poison!"

"Are you sure?"

"No, but we have to try. We can't let Snow kill that lady." Rose held her hand out to Lily. "It's worth a chance if it can stop all of this."

Lily was hesitant, but she wanted it all to stop. She wanted everything to go back to normal. If there was even a chance that their plan would work, she was willing to try. She took Rose's hand. "Okay. Let do it."

Rose smiled, reassuring Lily. They sat in front of each other and held hands. Lily concentrated to find her magic. She knew it was about emotions, so she tried thinking about things that made her happy. She thought about the days where she and her daddy would be in the backyard tending to the garden. She thought about playing with Lady in the park. She thought about hanging out with Henry after school.

She then felt it. A small twitch of magic. It was slowly growing stronger and stronger. Rose felt it too and smiled. Lily found it. Lily was proud of herself and kept up with the happy thoughts. Maybe it would work. Rose suddenly gasped and stopped.

"Rose? What's wrong?" Rose's head hung in sadness. She then looked up to Lily.

"It's Snow. She already cursed the heart." Lily's eyes widened. She was hoping that Snow wouldn't do it, but she did.

"What do we do now?"

"We keep trying. If she puts Cora's heart back in her, it'll be too late. We have to wake Rose up before she gets back."

Gold noticed Rose's breath becoming shallow. Her magic could only do so much when she's not in control. It wouldn't be able to save her on it's own. If Snow didn't come back with Cora's cursed heart soon, it'll be too late. Gold hugged her and kissed her forehead. Neal saw how affectionate his father was with the child.

"You really love her."

"Of course I do. She's my daughter just as you are my son. I love you both. I was trying...to do better for her. I never forgave myself for what I did to you and I've spent everyday since to try to find you. Bae, I know you probably won't forgive me, but I want you to know that I truly am sorry for what happened that night. I never should have let you go."

"I never thought you'd go back on our deal."

"I made a mistake. One that I can't take back and I know that no amount of magic can fix. I'm sorry for what I did to you, Bae. You deserve better than me for a father. I'm deeply sorry and I do love you." Gold held out his hand in hopes of some sort of acceptance. Neal was hesitant.

"I'm still angry."

"I know." After a moment, Neal took his father's hand. They were silent for a moment. Neal was angry, but he still loved his papa and Gold very much loved his son. In that moment, they both had a mutual understanding. They still loved each other. Between them, there was a low glow. They both then noticed it was Rose's locket. Something was happening. She stirred a bit before slowly opening her eyes. "Rose?"

"Kid?" Her eyes focused on the two men above her.

"Neal...? Papa...?" They both let out a sigh of relief.

"You've finally woken up, Flower."

"Glad to see you're back." Gold helped her to sit up. When she tried to move her arm, she noticed the pain in it.

"Ow!"

"It's alright, Flower. Don't move too much. You're still hurt." Rose then remembered what happened. That man with the hook was trying to stab her papa and she jumped in front of him. She got cut on her arm. The last thing she remembered hearing was something about being poisoned before she was completely out cold. She was still poisoned. That why her arm hurt so much.

"This hurts." It was times like this where she was glad she didn't get rid of that spell book with all of the near impossible spells. She remembered reading about a spell that could heal any and all injuries, poisons, toxins, and anything else. It took up a lot of energy and would even take the user's life if they weren't careful or powerful enough. It was one that Rose practiced a lot in hopes that if the situation ever came up, she would be able to help someone. That practice was going to pay off as she focused her mind and energy on casting out the poison. It was difficult to work through the pain and the poison closing in on her heart.

Inside of Rose, Lily and Rose helped as much as they could to heal Rose. Now that she was finally awake, they had a little more power to lend. The three of them concentrated and cast the spell. A bright pink light surrounded Rose and filled the room. As the spell worked it's magic, Rose and Lily were starting to fade away. Lily noticed and was worried.

"Rose? What's going on?" Rose somehow knew what was happening and smiled.

"It's okay, Lily. Her memories are coming back to her. We're coming back to her." Lily smiled at this. Rose no longer needed three of herself. They would all become one memory again.

"Well, it's about time." Both of the girls giggled as they continued to meld into one.

When the light cleared away, Neal and Gold looked to Rose. The scar on her arm was gone and her eyes were closed. Neal was worried.

"Well? Did it work?" Gold waved a hand over her, then sighed in relief as he kissed her forehead.

"Yes. The poison's gone. She's alright."

"Aww. Well that's a shame." They all looked up to the intruding voice. Cora had broken through the protective barriers. "I was hoping with her weaker, this would be easier. I'm always up for a challenge, though."

Neal and Emma stood, ready to fight before Cora waved her hand and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It was just her, Rumpelstiltskin, and an unconscious Rose. Rumple carefully moved Rose to the mattress below him a stood.

"I have no intention on letting you anywhere near my daughter." Cora chuckled.

"So it is true. I had heard rumors that the all powerful Dark One had a little girl. I almost didn't believe it."

"Don't test me, dearie. You know how far a parent will go to protect their child. Or at least you would know...if you had a heart."

"My dear, Rumple. I love my daughter more than you know. Why do you think I'm doing this? It's all for her."

"And how exactly is trying to take my powers helping Regina? Just admit it. You just want power. That's all you've ever wanted. You are capable of real love."

"And you are?" During their conversation, Rose was slowly coming to. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to see the interaction between them. "Admit it, Rumple. You're just a cold and heartless as me."

"That's where you're wrong. Unlike you, I know how to control my heart, whereas you ripped your own out."

"And why do you think I ripped my heart out? I had to make a decision between the lives I chose to live. Wife of the Dark One or a queen. My heart was in the way, so I got rid of it. I truly did love you, Rumple, but I had to give myself my best chance at life."

"And are you truly happy with that decision?"

"I had some bumps along the way, but I regret nothing. Now, how long do you think you can distract me while she regains her strength?" Rose's eyes widened in surprise. She knew that she was awake. Rose got ready to poof herself away before a short vision flashed in her eyes. Cora's heart. It was still cursed and Regina was on her way to put it back in her. She then saw Regina appeared behind her mother, ready to shove her heart back in her body.

"NO!" It was too late. Regina put Cora's heart back into her. Cora stumbled for a moment before turning to Regina. Cora smiled. She had been missing her heart for so long, having it back felt...wonderful. She could love again. Regina smiled as well.

"Mother?" Cora placed a soft hand on Regina's cheek, as if she was seeing her daughter for the first time.

"My darling, Regina. Thank you, for returning my heart to me. I've forgotten what it felt like to love. To truly love." Regina teared up at this. Rose was surprised when nothing else happened. Cora's heart was cursed. She was still very much alive, even with her cursed heart. Maybe since Rose wasn't on the verge of death, the curse wouldn't work. She hoped that was the case. Now that Cora had her heart back, maybe she didn't want to hurt anyone anymore?

"Well, I'd hate to break up this touching moment, but there is still some business to attend to." Rumple raised his hand and both Cora and Regina held their throats, like they couldn't breathe. Rose saw this and jumped up.

"Papa, stop!"

"Not now, Flower. Papa is busy." Since when did he brush her off like that? He always stopped for her. What was different? She didn't have time to try to figure it out. She needed to stop him, but how? She still didn't know how to use a good bit of her magic. What could she do? She had to try something. It was better than nothing. If she tried to use her magic, maybe something would happen. Her locket once again began to glow. Feeling her magic, she waved her hand and hoped it would do something. She then heard Cora and Regina catch their breaths and saw Rumple paused. "Rose! What are you doing?"

"Not letting you hurt people, Papa. You don't have to." She turned to Cora and Regina and waved her hand in front of them. They disappeared in a pink smoke. She returned them to Regina's house, or at least she hoped so. She hadn't really transported other people besides herself that much. She then released Rumple from his hold. Before he could scold her, she ran and hugged him. It had been months and she finally remembered that she missed him. Rumple wanted to be upset with her, but he couldn't. He never could. He knelt down and hugged his daughter. "Papa."

"My darling flower." They broke apart and smiled at each other. Rose then frowned.

"Papa, I don't want you to hurt people. I know you tried to kill Ms. Cora so I could live." Rumple frowned.

"Rose..."

"I don't know anything about her and, since everyone was worried, she's maybe a bad person. That doesn't mean she should die. She's Ms. Regina's mommy." Rumple took her hands in his.

"Sweetheart, you have no idea what that woman is capable of. What she could have done to you. You just...you don't understand."

"I know, but I don't want you hurting people for me. I never liked that and I still don't. Can you stop hurting people? Please?" He couldn't promise such a thing. It's who he was. He was a monster who's done a lot of bad things in the past and will do more in the future. He couldn't possibly make that promise and keep it. Before he could respond, Snow White ran in.

"Regina wait!" Rose and Rumple looked over to the frantic princess. Rose smiled as she saw her and ran over to her.

"Snow!" Snow, still slightly confused, hugged the small girl.

"Rose! You're better." She looked over to Rumple. "What happened to Regina and Cora?"

"They're both still very much alive if that's your concern. The important thing is Rose is alright." Snow wanted to question it, but thought it was best not to bring it up in front of Rose.

"I suppose so. I'll let the others know." Snow then turned and left.

"Rose, darling." She looked up to him. "Now that you're home, there's someone I'm sure you'll want to see again."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until further notice, this story will be on a short hiatus. Here's a preview for what's to come.

Rumple took Rose to the hospital to see Belle. Now that she had her memory back, she would remember her mother. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Belle. He planned to find a way to return her memories now that he was back in town. He knew that Regina and Cora would eventually come after him again. Just because she had her heart back didn't mean that Cora didn't want to end him for his power. She was power hungry before she ripped out her own heart. That wouldn't change. For now, he had to tend to his daughter. He would then go for Neal.

"Rose, darling?" She looked up to him.

"Yes, Papa?" He knelt down to her.

"Before we see your mama, there's something you have to know." She tilted her head.

"What?"

"Well, because of something that happened, she's lost her memories again. She doesn't remember anything, not even me. She may not recognize you, but that's not her fault. I don't want you to be upset when she doesn't realize who you are. She still loves you very much. She just doesn't remember." Rose was a bit upset. Her mama wouldn't remember who she was, but...at least she was okay. She was glad she was safe.

"Okay, Papa." Standing up, he took her hand and led her down the hall of the hospital. They stopped in front of a doorway. Rumple gestured for her to stay behind him and stay quiet. He then knocked on the frame of the door.

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Gold."

"Hello, Belle. I've brought you a visitor." He then brought Rose in front of him and presented the young girl. Rose's eyes widened as she saw her mother laid in bed...with a huge belly. She was having a baby? When did that happen? "This is Rose. Our daughter."

"Rose? Oh, Rose! Victor's told me so much about you." She didn't know who Victor was, but she didn't care at the moment. She ran over to the bed and hugged her mother. She was so happy to see her again. Belle hugged the small child back. She didn't remember her daughter, yet she felt a wave of joy, love and contentment holding the girl.

"I missed you, Mama." Those words were to mean nothing without her memories, but she still had to say it. She had been away from the only loving mother she knew for so long. She missed her soft voice. Her loving smile. Her warm embrace. She finally had her mama back. Rumple smiled at the display. His love and his daughter were finally reunited. Rose had her family back and so did he. Now that Baelfire had also returned, he finally had everyone.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys. I'm finally back with more Forgotten Flower. I'm not back for good. Just going to upload a chapter or two whenever I get the motivation for it. Hope you enjoy the few I do have.

Last Time on Forgotten Flower

Rumple took Rose to the hospital to see Belle. Now that she had her memory back, she would remember her mother. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Belle. He planned to find a way to return her memories now that he was back in town. He knew that Regina and Cora would eventually come after him again. Just because she had her heart back didn't mean that Cora didn't want to end him for his power. She was power hungry before she ripped out her own heart. That wouldn't change. For now, he had to tend to his daughter. He would then go for Neal.

"Rose, darling?" She looked up to him.

"Yes, Papa?" He knelt down to her.

"Before we see your mama, there's something you have to know." She tilted her head.

"What?"

"Well, because of something that happened, she's lost her memories again. She doesn't remember anything, not even me. She may not recognize you, but that's not her fault. I don't want you to be upset when she doesn't realize who you are. She still loves you very much. She just doesn't remember." Rose was a bit upset. Her mama wouldn't remember who she was, but...at least she was okay. She was glad she was safe.

"Okay, Papa." Standing up, he took her hand and led her down the hall of the hospital. They stopped in front of a doorway. Rumple gestured for her to stay behind him and stay quiet. He then knocked on the frame of the door.

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Gold."

"Hello, Belle. I've brought you a visitor." He then brought Rose in front of him and presented the young girl. Rose's eyes widened as she saw her mother laid in bed...with a huge belly. She was having a baby? When did that happen? "This is Rose. Our daughter."

"Rose? Oh, Rose! Victor's told me so much about you." She didn't know who Victor was, but she didn't care at the moment. She ran over to the bed and hugged her mother. She was so happy to see her again. Belle hugged the small child back. She didn't remember her daughter, yet she felt a wave of joy, love and contentment holding the girl.

"I missed you, Mama." Those words were to mean nothing without her memories, but she still had to say it. She had been away from the only loving mother she knew for so long. She missed her soft voice. Her loving smile. Her warm embrace. She finally had her mama back. Rumple smiled at the display. His love and his daughter were finally reunited. Rose had her family back and so did he. Now that Baelfire had also returned, he finally had everyone.

Rose was so happy being back home. She had her mama, papa, and her friends. She didn't know what was going to happen with Regina and Cora, but she wasn't too worried about it at the moment. She was excited about Belle having a baby and wondering what the baby will be. Rumple went home, saying he needed to take care of some things. Rose was left with Quasi and Belle and couldn't be happier. Suddenly, everything stopped. Literally. Belle and Quasi were frozen in place. The picture on the TV stopped and so did the clock on the wall. Right outside, Rose could see a nurse frozen in the hall mid stride.

"You know..." She jumped and gasped at the new and unfamiliar voice. She turned a saw a man sitting in the chair on the other side of the room. He wore a dark suit, had dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes. "Happy endings are great, but someone always gets screwed over in the end, don't they?"

"W-Who are you?" The man stood up.

"Oh no one important. Just a man that has lost his fair share of...investments because of you." She backed away on the bed.

"D-Do I know you?"

"No, you don't, but I know you. And your father, Rumpelstiltskin." Her eyes widened.

"You wanna hurt Papa?" He chuckled and shook his head as he approached her.

"Hurt him? Oh no. He's actually a very big help in my line of work. Well...he was before you came along. You have stopped quite a few souls coming my way and I don't like when people mess with my work." Rose tilted her head in confusion. Souls? What did he mean by that?

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" He looked down at her.

"It's simple. I want the souls that you denied me. Or I can take yours since...you don't seem to like killing people." Her eyes widened in shock. He smirked. "I see you understand what I'm getting at."

"But..." He held up his hand silencing her. He then summoned a scroll and read from it.

"You'll need to retrieve the souls of Elizabeth or Portia Hart as she's known in this world. There's also Cora Mills, and I'll forgive the hunchback since I still got a soul from that day..." She shook her head.

"W-Wait! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"Well you should have thought about that before you decided to start saving people. It's usually better to just let things be. Had you done that, you wouldn't be in this situation, would you?" She said nothing. She didn't feel bad at all for helping people. It was the right thing to do no matter what. "Anyway, I need you to get me those souls."

"But I..." He holds up his hand silencing her.

"How about we make a deal? You're familiar with the concept of a deal aren't you? You do something for me and I do something for you. It's something your father specializes in."

"I know, but I don't want to make a deal with you. I'm not killing anyone."

"Oh, but I think you'll want this deal." He walked over to Belle and tapped her belly. "For the sake of your family."

"Don't hurt them!"

"I won't if you take my deal." She thought for a moment. She didn't want anything to happen to her family. Not after she just got them back.

"What's the deal?" He smirked.

"Good girl. My deal is soul for soul. Your father made a deal some centuries ago and long story short, the soul of his second born child belongs to me. I'll tear up the contract for the baby if you get me those souls. You don't want to tear apart your family, do you?" She was torn. She couldn't take anyone's life, but she couldn't let her baby brother or sister be taken away. She couldn't. What was she to do? "I see you need to thinking about this. I'll give you...about 24 hours to make your decision."

"But..."

"Oh, and try to keep this a secret. If you tell anyone, I'll take the baby whether you take the deal or not." He suddenly disappeared and time resumed. Belle looked at Rose worriedly.

"Rose? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." She looked around slightly confused.

"Y-Yeah. I'm okay, Mama." She crawled up to her hugging her and rubbing her belly. She didn't want to lose her family. Not again, but she couldn't kill anyone. What was she supposed to do? Quasi thought her behavior was odd. He would have to remember to tell Rumpelstiltskin about it when he returned.


End file.
